Somebody To Love
by MissRenesmeeRose
Summary: Bree is torn between two guys & decided to leave Forks so no more hearts would be broken. But now, they're both in her life again & this time the choice is inevitable. She must choose which guy she loves the most or rather, the one she is willing to save.
1. Tacoma

**A/N: I finally got off my lazy butt and started on the sequel. By the way, i'm really nervous about this because i'm not sure how all of the readers will react to it. But i do hope you like it and i have a lot in store for those of you who continue to read. So please make sure to review and tell me if i should continue with this or not. it would really help me out. **

**And another note for the previous readers, if you haven't figured it out yet, i changed my name from NessieB1721 to MissRenesmeeRose. i felt the need for a change. Hope it doesn't confuse you.**

**Background: This is a sequel to my previous Bree fanfiction called 'Second Lives and Loves'. If you're just starting to read this and have never read that story, then i'm gonna fill you in some important info. 1) This fanfiction IS NOT based on the _Short Second Life of Bree Tanner_. i dont want anyone to get confused with that. 2) Bree is in love with two guys. Greg, a human whom she met from school. Seth, a werewolf and her best friend for five years. 3) Bree thinks she's done the right thing by leaving Forks so she can stay away from both Greg and Seth. 4) Seth recently imprinted on Bree's sixteen year old sister named Stella. 5) Stella does know that Bree is vampire. If you have any questions, just ask. **

**DISCLAIMER: THE TWILIGHT SAGA BELONGS TO S. MEYER. I'M JUST BORROWING FOR MY IMAGINARY PLAYGROUND. **

Chapter 1- Tacoma

A soft rain fell across Tacoma, Washington, my current residence. The rain was a soothing sound as I drove back to my apartment after indulging myself with Washington's wildlife. Hunting always seemed to make me feel better when I was in a bad mood. I couldn't get their faces out of my head—Greg and Seth, the two guys that I loved.

I'd been living in Tacoma for seven months—ever since November. Alice had told me it would be a bad idea to leave, but I wouldn't listen. I thought I knew everything…I thought this would make everyone feel better… But I knew it was only making things worse in Forks. Alice would send me a "care package" every month with a letter and a box full of expensive items. I hadn't received one in a while, so I was sure that one would be waiting for me when I got home.

I parked outside my apartment building and looked around. I had this odd feeling that someone was watching me. Maybe I was just imagining things or hoping that someone I knew would show up, but I smelled something familiar. It was a woodsy, wet dog smell, but then I realized that Tacoma always smelled like that—it rained all the time, there were forests everywhere, and plenty of people owned dogs. But I could have sworn…no, that couldn't be it… But I knew that familiar scent reminded me of _someone_—I thought about his face, his contagious smile, his naturally tan skin, and short dark hair, and I remembered the way he had held me…I quickly shook that memory out of my head.

"Oh, Bree! You're home," I turned to see my neighbor, Madison, coming from her apartment holding my much-expected box. "You got a package. It was setting outside, but I didn't want it to get wet, so I decided to bring it in to my place."

"Thanks, Madison," I said, taking the box from her.

"There was a guy knocking at your door earlier," Madison said, interrupting me before I walked into my apartment.

"Really," I asked automatically interested in who my mystery visitor had been.

"Yeah. He was really cute. He had that whole mysterious thing going on. He came down here on a motorcycle. He had short black hair and really tan skin like one of those gorgeous Native American guys…"

My mind began to wander off as Madison continued talking—it was like she never stopped. The familiar wet dog smell was still in the air and the guy that Madison described fit with it. But it couldn't be him. How had found me? I looked around into the darkness, scanning the trees and bushes for any glimpse of him, but I saw nothing.

"Did you get his name," I asked, slightly interrupting Madison's constant babble of whatever it was she was talking about.

"No," she said, looking sheepish. "He was way too hot for me to talk to him. Why? Do you know him?"

I nodded. "I think so."

"Oh, my God! Is he, like, your boyfriend from back home?"

"Something like that," I replied. "I should get inside and put some dry clothes on. I'll talk to you later."

"Oh, okay," Madison said. She looked like she wanted to talk more, but I didn't have the time. Madison was all about the gossip. She had probably already told everyone in our building about him. She was one of those nosy neighbors that you never wanted to see very much.

"Um…thanks for saving my package from the rain."

"Oh, no prob. That's what neighbors are for, right."

I nodded and happily walked into my cozy apartment. I lived in one of those pent-house apartments with many windows and hardly any walls. The kitchen was connected to my bedroom, which was connected to the living room. Carlisle had insisted that he paid for everything; he wanted to help me out.

After taking a quick shower, I sat down in the living room and opened my box from Alice. I looked at the return address and saw that the Cullens had moved from Forks to Vancouver. I thought it was about that time. Inside my package there were two envelopes on top of many clothes and a pair of expensive heels. I opened the first envelope, which held a couple pictures of Alice and Jasper with the Eiffel Tower in the background and the usual letter from Alice:

_Dear Bree,_

_I know it took longer than usual for you to receive the package from me, but that's only because Jazz and I decided to spend a couple weeks in Paris. It was amazing and I managed to buy you some cute lingerie and those gorgeous heels at the bottom of the box. I also included the cutest dress I found on the internet. I'm sure you can find somewhere special to wear it. _

_Hope Tacoma is treating you okay. We miss you very much. Jasper really wants you to come visit. I know you two were close. Hope to see you in person soon! _

_With Love,_

_Your Fashionista Big Sis, Alice_

I smiled and placed the letter back in its envelope. I really did miss Alice and Jasper. I was going to have to write back soon. I grabbed up the light blue envelope and opened it. It was a wedding invitation from Leah. The date was set for July 16th. I couldn't believe Leah had given me an invitation; I always thought she hated me.

I started unpacking the box. There was skimpy lingerie from Paris that still had hundred-dollar tags on them, a comfortable pair of jeans, some t-shirts, short skirts, a fancy one-shoulder black dress, and a pair of hard-to-walk-in heels. Looks like Alice planned ahead; she must have known that Leah would send me an invitation. If I decided to go, at least I would have something suitable to wear.

But if I did decide to attend Leah's wedding, that would mean Seth would be there. And I wasn't sure if I was ready to see him. I don't know what I would say to him. But, what if Seth was already here in Tacoma? Madison described the guy outside just like Seth looked and that also explained the familiar dog smell outside.

There was a steady knock on the door and I stashed all my items back in the box. I walked over and opened the door to reveal a very wet and very familiar guy. I closed my eyes, thinking this was all a daydream, but when I opened them again, he was still standing there with the most heart-warming smile I had ever seen.

"Seth," I said.

"Happy to see me?" Seth still smiled at me—like there was nothing weird going on between us, like everything was the same as before. I stood there, speechless. "Can I come in or do I have to stay outside in the rain?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You can come in."

Seth walked in my apartment and I closed the door behind him. "Nice place you have," Seth commented as he looked around. "Sorry, I'm dripping on your floor. I'm guessing you don't have any extra clothes I could fit."

I shook my head, unable to say anything. I was slightly tongue-tied. But I wasn't sure what I should say in the first place. Seth started taking his shirt off, revealing his perfect muscles...and then he started unbuttoning his pants. "Seth, what are you doing?"

"You don't think I'm going to keep these wet clothes on, do you," he asked with a wry smile. "If it makes you feel uncomfortable I can leave the pants on."

"No, I'm fine. I'll just go get you a towel." I quickly grabbed a towel from the closet beside the bathroom and handed it to Seth. He wrapped the towel around his waist and began pulling down his jeans as I turned the other way.

I heard Seth chuckle as he began taking off his shoes. "You can turn around now." I turned around and picked up Seth's wet clothes from the floor before throwing them in the dryer. When I came back in the room, Seth was silently walking around the room looking at all my furniture and some pictures Alice had sent me previously. "I know I probably should have called before I came," he started. "But I guess I wanted it to be a surprise."

I sat down on the couch, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. I couldn't stop thinking about the last time I'd seen Seth…or what we'd done. I remembered the way he's looked at me and that one look said everything. I remembered how his extremely warm lips had molded against mine. I remembered the way his arms felt wrapped around my waist and the feeling of his hands as they explored my body… I shook my head, quickly trying to focus. This was one of the reasons I had left Forks—so I wouldn't have to think about him or Greg.

I sighed. "Seth, how did you even know where I was living?"

"Well, I went to go visit Jacob since he's living with the Cullens in Vancouver and Alice was there. So, I asked her. And she gave me that box with the address on it and said I could bring it here."

_Alice_. Of course—why didn't I think of that?

"So," I said. "What are you doing here?"

Seth walked over to sit with me on the couch and I could feel the familiar warmth emanating from his skin. He placed a warm hand over one of my cold ones and gave a slight smile. "I came to apologize."

"Apologize? If anyone needs to apologize it's me, not you."

Seth shook his head. "No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have done what I did. I guess I should have stopped myself. Maybe I shouldn't have told you that I loved you."

"No, Seth. I did what I did because I meant it. Nothing you could have said or done would have changed that."

"Why did you leave?"

"I don't know. I guess because I thought it was the right thing to do. But I know now that it wasn't. I'm sorry for everything."

"So, you really meant it when you said you loved me," Seth asked, looking me in the eyes.

I nodded. "I still do…It's just confusing right now because I love Greg too. I didn't think it would be fair to both of you if I stayed in Forks."

"I think it's fair. We can share you."

I shook my head. "That's not right."

"Well, just come back to Forks with me. We can all figure something out. Greg needs you…you haven't seen him…"

"What do mean," I asked, putting together a mental picture of Greg in my head.

"When you left Forks…he changed…in a bad way. I mean, I was never friends with the guy in the first place, but you leaving messed him up."

I mentally groaned and scolded myself for the hundredth time for doing something so stupid like leaving Forks when I shouldn't have. I knew something like this would happen. Why didn't I listen to Alice? She'd told me all about how Bella was when Edward left—it was like history repeating itself. I felt terrible for leaving Greg and Seth. It was all my fault and we were all hurting because of it.

"How has he changed," I whispered, thinking of all the awful possibilities in my head.

"I think you'd have to see for yourself. But I guess you could say he's drowning all his sorrows, if you know what I mean."

_Drowning all his sorrows_. I grimaced as a mental picture of Greg gulping down every bottle of alcohol he could get his hands on popped in my head.

"How have you been," I asked. I'd been concerned all about Greg for the past few minutes but Seth had yet to tell me how he really felt.

"Okay, I guess. I've kind of been busy with a lot of stuff. The Pack. Helping out with Leah's wedding invitations."

I looked down at my hands, recalling something that had come up between us. The last time Seth and I had been together, he'd told me that he imprinted…on my sister. When Hayley, my best friend from Seattle, and Stella, my younger sister, had visited me in Forks, Seth had imprinted on her. I still couldn't believe that was true. Seth had told me all kinds of stories of how different werewolves had imprinted from his pack and I'd never really believed how it could happen until then. I was still confused on how it works. But Seth had told me he didn't even want it to happen. It's not something he can control.

"Um…how's that imprint going," I asked, trying to sound casual. It kind of hurt for me to talk about it. Seth was my best friend—I loved him—and it made me slightly jealous to hear him say he imprinted on my sister. But she didn't know it.

Seth shrugged, replying to my question.

"Have you seen her?"

"Yeah. Sort of."

"So, you've talked to Stella about it?"

"No," Seth said. "I've seen her and talked to her a little."

"Where did you see Stella," I asked, suddenly interested.

"Well, she came to Forks and went to the Cullen mansion and you guys weren't there. I told her that you all left and we talked a little bit."

We were both silent for a little bit, probably thinking about the same thing: Stella. I hadn't seen Stella since November and now it was July...that's seven months. That was most likely the reason she went to Forks in the first place—to visit me. I wish there was some way to go see her, but I couldn't go to Portland with mom and dad there too. There had to be some way I could see her… But I did know of one I thing I could—and should—do. I needed to go talk to Greg. It was my turn to apologize.

**Please review and tell me what you think. I'm open to any ideas of how i can improve. I'll try and update as soon as possible. **


	2. Drowning

**A/N:** Thank you guys so much for your support on the last chapter. Just checked my email today and it was filled with story alerts, reviews, and story favorites. I never thought so many people would add this story to thier favorites and they haven't even read the 2nd chapter yet. Thank you! You guys are amazing! I'd also like to give a special shoutout to **Kelsi** for giving me the idea to write a chapter in Greg's POV. But it's not a full chapter, just half. And the other half of the chapter is in Seth's POV. Plus, you get a little flashback from Seth when he got to talk to his imprint. So enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER:** i do not own the twilight saga or it's characters. But i do own the original character named Greg. yay!

**Greg POV **

Her skin was soft and cold, just the way I remembered it last. Every kiss she planted on my lips was blissful. I knew it was dream and I knew I should end it before I hurt even more, but I didn't want to. I enjoyed my dream worlds where I could still embrace my dark-haired beauty. Her dark hair fell in my face and the scent of lavender and vanilla washed over me.

_I have to leave you now_. Her lips didn't move. But I knew that was what she wanted to tell me. I tried holding her against me, but even in my dreams she was a vampire and stronger than me. Her hands pulled my arms away from her before she gave me one last smile and disappeared.

_No, Bree. Please don't leave me_. But it was no use. She was gone.

I sat up in my bed, my chest tight with the pain that never ceased. I leaned over the side of bed looking for my familiar painkiller. And then I found it. The half empty bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. I screwed of the top and took a quick morning swig. I closed my eyes tight and let the good pain from the whiskey flow through my body burning away the bad pain in my heart. I grimaced as her golden eyes made their appearance in my mind. So, I took a larger swallow of alcohol and embraced the burning in my throat.

I shook my head. _Pitiful, just pitiful_. I was only eighteen and already drinking like a true alcoholic. I was a terrible excuse for a son and grateful my mom was on some trip with her married boyfriend so she wouldn't have to see me like this. My mom knew about Bree leaving Forks and she also knew about my slight "depression" over it. But she said it would get better. And has it?—No. I go to sleep with heartache, wake up with heartache, and walk around like a soulless monster.

I finally twisted the top back on the bottle before stashing it back under my bed. I had to make myself get up and walk downstairs. I passed by a mirror on my way towards the living and finally spotted my reflection for the first time that day. My hair was sticking up in awkward positions, I needed to shave, my eyes were bloodshot, and I just looked homeless. I was going to have to remember to take care of myself before I left the house—if I left the house at all.

I plopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote to turn to some show called _iCarly_. But I quickly changed the channel to some music videos because the main character reminded me of Bree. The first video that came on was _The Only Exception_ by Paramore; Bree loved that song. Why does it seem like the world is plotting against me today?

There was a steady beating on the door and I wondered whether or not I had the strength to get up from the couch and answer the door. I sat there for moment while the knocking continued and then finally walked over to open the door. For a brief second, I prayed to the gods of love hoping it was Bree.

But it wasn't. It was Seth. The only person in the world I could actually relate to. We were both going through the same thing. Bree left both of us and sometimes it was good to have his company. He was always there to tell me how trashy I looked or to tell me to get my lazy ass out of bed. We weren't exactly friends, just acquaintances.

He was standing there with an annoying grin on his face. He walked inside my house without even asking—not that I had the heart to care. I closed the door behind him, blocking out the morning sun.

Seth took off his sunglasses and grimaced. "It looks like Dracula's lair in this place…And smells like ball sweat and whiskey." Leave it to Seth to bring the comedic relief to my depression. He glanced over at me and raised his eyebrows. "And you look homeless. Put a smile on and look like a happy hobo at least."

"How can I be happy if she's still not here," I asked. There was no need to say her name; Seth knew who I was talking about.

"She'll come back," he said with a knowing look. "I have good news."

"Really," I said. "And what is that?"

"She's going to be in Forks soon...At my sister's wedding."

I narrowed my eyes at Seth. "And why are you telling me? Wouldn't that be a good way for you to get a head start? I mean, I'm not going to be there…"

"It's a not race…and I'm inviting you so you can have a chance to see Bree."

"Why are you being so nice to me," I asked. It didn't make sense to me why Seth would be actually trying to invite to his sister's wedding. I always thought he wanted Bree to himself. So, why would he be giving me the chance to see her? It would give him an advantage if I wasn't around.

Seth shrugged and began walking around the living, turning his nose up at all my mess. "Bree cares about you and I know she wants to see you…and you want to see her so…"

"So what," I asked confused. "You don't like her anymore?"

"No. I do. I just think maybe you're better for her. I love her but I think you love her more."

I couldn't believe what he was saying. I didn't know whether Seth was giving up or just trying to be the good guy. Whatever it was, it was confusing as hell. But I guess I shouldn't complain. He was giving me the opportunity to see Bree again. My heart jumped with relief and excitement as I thought about the possibilities. But then I thought about my reflection in the mirror earlier; Bree wouldn't want to see me the way I am right now. I was mess and I couldn't let her see that.

"I'm going to have to get cleaned up," I blurted out.

"Yeah," Seth said, grinning. "And you're going to have to start with the alcohol." He pulled an empty bottle of vodka out from behind a pillow on the couch. "You can't keep drowning yourself in this stuff. It's not really going to help."

I nodded, astonished from the truth of his words. The alcohol never worked, it just made things worse.

"And you know that's illegal anyway," Seth continued. "You're not even twenty-one."

"What are you—a parole officer now?"

Seth grinned and glanced at the clock on the wall. "I need to go help my sister with some more wedding stuff. I'll send you invitation…make sure you're all cleaned up by then."

I nodded. "Yeah. Um…Thanks, Seth. For this…for…um…giving me a chance to see her."

Seth shrugged. "Yeah, no problem."

**Seth POV **

I left Greg's house, shaking my head. I'd been going over to his house for the past couple of months. At first, I always thought he was out to take Bree away from me but then I realized that he was in love with her just as much as I had been. Maybe a little more and that was the problem. Every time I went over there, he just got worse—drowning out the world in different kinds of alcohol. There was always an empty bottle of something around his house.

So that's why I invited Bree to Leah's wedding. Even though Leah absolutely despised Bree, she finally allowed me send her an invitation. I was doing this for me and for him. I decided that if Bree came to Leah's wedding, maybe Mr. Alcoholic would be able to straighten himself out a little. And then maybe I'd be able to really figure out how I felt about her.

I'd always thought that Bree would be the only girl I would ever truly love. But then I imprinted and it was like something was torn away from me. I still loved her but now something just seemed different. Like we weren't connected as much and it was because of my imprint. Stella. Bree's younger sister.

Yesterday, I'd told Bree that I'd seen Stella after the actual imprint. And I wasn't lying when I said yes, but since that day, I haven't stopping thinking about her. Worrying about whether I should go find Stella in Portland. The imprint was already affecting me; I felt the need to protect her.

~.~.~.~.~

It was cold evening in January. Bree had left Forks two months ago and I still couldn't stop blaming myself. I had to see her…or write to her or something. There had to be some kind of way to apologize. But I needed to find where she lived; I needed to talk to Alice. She would know where Bree was if she was still keeping tabs on her.

The roads were slightly slick from the snow and rain the day before as I drove to Forks from La Push. I arrived at the Cullens' mansion but when I got out of my car, there was no trace of the Cullens. I couldn't smell their familiar scent anywhere. I couldn't believe they'd already left Forks and hadn't even told me. Jacob didn't even tell me. He must have left with them.

I walked around the house, looking for any evidence of where they might have gone, but there was nothing. Only a parked silver car. There was young girl with black hair standing up against the wall of the house with her arms across her chest. My heart skipped a beat as I thought that maybe this was Bree, but I would have smelled her. The girl turned her head towards me with wide eyes. My heart leapt again, but this time with a different recognition. It was her—my imprint.

I contemplated my actions—should I turn around and go back home? Or go talk to her? I couldn't stay away from her forever. I took a deep breath a decided to face my future like a man. I walked up to the girl. Her teeth were chattering from the cold and I wondered briefly how long she'd been outside.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi," she replied with a weak smile.

"What are you doing out here?"

She sighed heavily. "Well, I came here to talk to Bree but I see the Cullens don't even live here anymore. I tried leaving earlier but my car wouldn't start…I guess it's too cold. So, I've been standing out here for about an hour trying to get some service on my phone…And that's when you showed up."

She smiled at me again but this time my stomach started doing flips. I wanted to help her…I needed to help her. She was imprint and there was no way I was just going to leave her out here in the cold.

"I can give you a ride," I suggested.

She shook her head. "I couldn't let you do that. I live all the way in Portland."

"Well, you can't just stay outside in the cold. You'll freeze."

"You don't mind," she asked looking uncertain.

"Not at all," I replied. And briefly I remembered the words Sam had told me about imprinting: _You'll be anything for her. Do anything for her…_

"Thanks," she said as we began walking over to my truck. She was still shivering and I had the urge to wrap my arm around her but I stopped myself. I was still wary about the whole imprinting thing. "I'm Stella, by the way."

"I'm Seth."

As soon as we were both in the car I turned on the heat and some music. Stella immediately relaxed into the seat and I could see that her cheeks were already turning a pink color from the sudden warmth. "Do you know the way to Portland," she asked.

"Actually I do." You learn a lot of things from being in the pack.

We rode in silence for a while and it started bothering me. But I didn't know what to say to her. Stella stared out the window watching the trees go by and I wondered what she was thinking about. I decided to stop at a restaurant close to Portland so that we could both eat. I didn't know about her, but I was starving. Stella followed me as I chose a booth for us to sit in somewhere in the back. We both say down across from each other and soon a waitress came to take our orders.

"So, you're friends with my sister," Stella asked, looking me in the eyes. How had I not realized that her eyes were blue until now? They were like water…I felt like I might get lost and drown in them.

I nodded. "For about five years now."

Stella leaned in towards me and the scent of roses swept over me. I'd never smelled anything so intoxicating. "So you know what she is," she whispered. "You know that she's a vampire."

"Yeah and so do you. She told you?"

Stella nodded. "She told me when Hayley and I visited her." She sat back in her seat and sighed. "Have you and Bree ever dated?"

"No."

"Have you ever thought about it?"

"Bree and I have an understanding. There's always been that possibility but it's not going to happen."

"Because of the other guy," she asked with a knowing look.

"You know about him?"

"Not exactly. I saw him coming over to the house when we were leaving. Is that her boyfriend?" I nodded. "Do you have a girlfriend right now?"

"You ask a lot of questions," I replied as the waitress returned with our food. Stella began picking at the fries on her plate. "And no, I do not have a girlfriend…Do you have a boyfriend."

Stella blushed and continued picking at her fries. "No. I'm not interested in any of them...Wait, that came out wrong. I mean, I'm interested in guys but not any of the guys at my school." Her cheeks turned even redder and I chuckled.

"I know what you meant," I said.

Stella nodded and looked down at her plate. I could tell she was embarrased. We both ate in comfortable silence for a little while until she decided to ask another question. "How old are you?"

"Older than you."

Stella giggled. "I'm sixteen."

"I'm twenty."

"You don't look twenty. You look like you're only seventeen or eighteen." I shrugged, wanting to tell her it was wolf thing. I hadn't really aged that much since the first time I had changed.

Stella didn't ask any more questions and we both finished eating and were able to get back on the road towards Portland. The trip only took thirty more minutes until we reached the outskirts of Portland and by then Stella was able to give me directions towards her house.

"This is it," Stella said, pointing to a two story house close to the car. I drove up in front and even in dark I see that it was a beige color with green shutters but there were no cars parked out front. "Looks like I got lucky. But I still don't know what I'm going to do about the car. My parents are going to kill me when they find out."

"I wish there was something I could do," I said.

Stella shook her head. "No, I just need to face the music. Take whatever punishment they give me. I wasn't supposed to take the car anyway; I don't even have my full license."

"You drove all the way from Portland to Forks with just a permit?" She nodded and sighed. "Impressive. I say they should give you some slack for that."

"I wish." Stella continued to sit in the truck, staring out the window towards her house like maybe she didn't want to go inside at all. "I should go." She got out and closed the door behind her before I could even properly say bye. I watched as she slowly walked towards her house, checking each step to make sure she wasn't stepping in ice. But she missed a spot and slid right onto her butt. I was out of the car as fast as possible and at her side, assisting her up.

"That is so embarrassing," Stella said as she shook her head in disgust.

She tried getting up but her foot slipped on the same piece of ice and she fell against me. I wrapped my arms around Stella's small frame, helping to steady her stance. Both of her palms were against my chest as she stared down at her feet. And even in the dark, I could see the heat rising to her cheeks.

Stella took a deep breath. "Thanks for the ride and for helping me up. I don't know many people who would take the time to do what you did. Thank you."

"No problem." I unwrapped my arms from around her waist.

"I guess…maybe I'll see you around."

I nodded and watched her walk up to the front door of her house—without slipping again. Before walking in, she turned around and gave me a smile.

~.~.~.~.~

I thought about that smile all the time. I hadn't seen Stella since that night, seven months ago. But I thought about her constantly.

Sitting in my truck and gazing up at the July sun, I thought about Stella, my imprint. She probably had a boyfriend by now; there was no way a girl as pretty as her would go seven months without a boyfriend. They were probably splashing around in some pool. And deep down, I wished it was me. I wanted to be there for her in any way possible.

I'd been trying to keep my distance from her, hoping that I could reverse the imprint and go back to just loving Bree. But there was no way that I could anymore. There had to be a way for me to see her.

Greg and I definitely had our problems. Greg was drowning himself in alcohol while I felt like I was drowning in the confusion of my emotions.

**Please Review. Should i write another chapter with Greg's POV? Give me any ideas you might have and i just might use them :) I'm not sure when the next time I update will be but i can tell you that the wedding chapters are coming. Looks like Bree is going to have to face both Greg and Seth in the same room... **

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	3. Black or Red

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update but it took me forever to write this. i still dont know if i like the way it came out. But hopefully you guys will like it. I decided to switch back and forth from POVs- Bree's and Seth's- so you know how both of them feel about what's going on. So enjoy and please review :) **

**DISCLAIMER: i still do not own the twilight saga or the characters of bree or seth. **

**Bree POV **

I was hoping for another sunny July day for the wedding, but it was cloudy. I knew there was no way I was getting out of today. It needed to be done. I needed to see Greg…I needed to apologize and make sure he was okay.

I slipped on the black dress that Alice had given me in her last box of goodies and examined myself in the mirror. I couldn't believe I was going to a wedding…Leah's wedding. I didn't even want to think about what Leah was going to say to me once she realized I'd shown up at her wedding. But I wasn't going to worry about what Leah thought—even though it mattered; it was her day—but what really mattered to me was Greg.

When Seth had told me about how much Greg had changed since I'd left in November, I felt absolutely horrible. Just getting the mental images of Greg taking his pain out with a bottle of alcohol was enough to make anyone feel bad. I felt even worse—seeing as I was the reason for the pain.

I thought about what I would say to him once I saw him. I could imagine his face, hardened with pain, as I tried to explain to him my reasons for leaving. What if he didn't even want to talk to me? He probably hated me—and he had reason for that—but I just hoped that maybe he could give me a second chance.

The clock on my wall chimed. It was already eleven o'clock and I needed to be at the wedding by two. I grabbed my heels and car keys and opened the door to see my sister, Stella, standing there.

She squealed and hugged me tightly. "I can't believe I finally found you!"

"Stella?" She pulled back briefly with a huge smile stretching from ear to ear and nodded. "How did you find out where I lived?"

"I called the Cullens. There was girl named Alice that knew and she told me…Wow. You look amazing."

"Thanks…I'm on my way to a wedding in Forks."

Stella's shoulders slumped as she began to pout. It was the same face I remembered she used to give mom all the time back in Seattle when she wanted something. "What is it, Stella?"

She sighed heavily. "Well, it's just that I came all the way to Tacoma to see you and I can't even spend time with you today."

"There's some people at the wedding that I really need to talk to and I think they're going to be really upset if I don't come."

Stella sighed again. "Okay. Next time."

Before she could turn around to leave, I asked her, "How about you come with me?"

"I don't know the people…and I don't have anything to wear."

I glanced down at her clothes, which were not wedding appropriate. She was wearing a tank top, shorts, and flip flops with her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. I gently grabbed Stella by the wrist and walked her inside to my room. I let her sit down on my bed while I rummaged through my closet filled with all the clothes Alice had sent me over the last few months.

I made a mental note to donate some to Goodwill while searching for the perfect dress I remembered from a few weeks ago. _Aha!_ There it was right in the back with the thousand dollar tag still hanging on it. I shook my head, wondering why Alice would feel the need to buy me a thousand dollar dress. The country was in a recession and yet, the Cullens still had money stashed in places.

Stella's eyes widened when she the dress. It was short—like everything Alice bought for me—strapless and red. "You can wear this," I suggested, holding the dress out towards her.

"Where did you get this," she asked, examining the split that ran up the back of the dress.

"Alice bought it for me. And I'm giving it to you because I don't think I'm ever going to wear it."

"Wow. Um…what about shoes?"

I grabbed a box from the bottom of my closet and handed it to her. Stella opened it with her mouth wide open in shock. "These are the prettiest shoes I've ever seen in my life!" They were the same color red as the dress and had many straps that ran over top of each other.

"You can have them."

"Are you serious?"

I nodded. "I probably won't wear those either. Now get dressed. I need to drive all the way to Forks and I didn't really feel like speeding ticket."

**Seth POV **

I hated weddings. I mean what guy really likes weddings anyway? Maybe the groom. Or the pastor. Or the gay guy that designed Leah's dress. But not me. The suit I was being made to wear was itchy and hot, Leah was acting like bridezilla, the groom looked like he was about to piss in his pants, my mom was already crying, somebody had lost one of the rings, and Bree still wasn't here. It was a complete disaster. I mean, why do people have weddings anyway? Why can't they just get the papers signed at the courthouse and be done with it? But all that was beyond me.

I stood outside the wedding chapel in Forks—Leah had decided she wanted a big wedding so we had to move it do a bigger church in Forks instead of La Push. There was no sun but it was still hot as hell. Who knew Forks would ever get this warm during the summer? Maybe this was what people meant by global warming.

The wedding was about to start in thirty minutes and still no trace of Bree. She said she'd come—she promised. I pulled my phone out from my pocket and texted her: _Where r u? _She texted back a few minutes later: _On my way. B there in 10. Had a lil emergency_ :)

I turned my phone off—didn't want Leah to slash my neck just in case it went off during the wedding—and put it back in my suit pocket. Just as I was looking up, I saw a familiar black Cadillac driving into the parking lot.

Greg got out of the car, ran his hand through his hair and began walking towards me. I was slightly surprised to seeing him wearing clothes. Every time I saw him, he was wearing pajamas. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes.

"Good afternoon," Greg said, standing beside me grinning.

"What's up with the glasses? There's not even a ray of sun in the sky."

Greg pulled the sunglasses off and he grimaced. "It's a little bright outside." I noticed his eyes were a slightly bloodshot. "And I have a small hangover," he continued, noticing my look. "Where's Bree?"

"She said she'd be here in ten minutes. But she had some kind of emergency."

"Emergency? What kind of emergency would a vampire have," he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she had to…you know…" I acted out what I was talking about by pretending I was holding something in my hands and biting it.

"Oh," Greg replied in understanding.

We both stood there in heat waiting for Bree to arrive. It was exactly ten minutes after Bree's text that I noticed her car pulling into the parking lot. My heart skipped beat in excitement, even though I'd just seen her the other day. Greg turned around slightly and pulled out a flask from his jacket pocket. He took off the top and took a quick swig. He was seriously turning into an alcoholic.

"What," he asked. "I'm nervous."

I shook my head and turned my attention back to Bree. I almost had a heart attack from the scene in front of me. Bree had gotten out of the car and so had another girl, which I immediately recognized as Stella. I swallowed hard; my imprint and the girl I loved in the same room. Oh, shit.

"Who's the girl with Bree," Greg asked from the side.

"That's Stella. Bree's sister."

"Gah! They look like twins."

I nodded, not knowing if I could say anything more. At that moment, I was tempted to pull the flask of alcohol from Greg's pocket and take a drink myself.

I watched as the two most beautiful girls in my world walked towards us. Bree was wearing a tight black dress while Stella was wearing an equally tight red one. I wanted to turn around and walk in the church like a coward, but stood there unable to look away.

The two girls stood right in front of us. Bree stood in front of Greg while Stella stood in front of me. My eyes darted back from one sister to the other trying to decide which one I liked the most. Before Stella had come along, I could tell anyone in heartbeat that I loved Bree and I would always love her. But now, I needed to make a choice. It was like choosing either paper or plastic. You knew that one option was better for you and went with nature but the other defied everything you've ever learned and it intrigued you. Right now, I was asking myself—the girl in black? Or the girl in red? Decisions, decisions.

**Bree POV**

When I saw both Greg and Seth standing outside the church when Stella and I arrived I wasn't sure if I would be able to drag myself out of the car. But I did and I managed to walk toward them without turning around. Stella seemed happy enough though. He cheeks were flushed and she had heartwarming smile on her face.

I wanted to smile myself but when I finally stood in front of Greg and Seth, there was just too much awkward in the air…or maybe that was the smell of alcohol. Greg ran a hand through his gorgeous black hair and I was tempted to fall down to my knees and beg him for forgiveness. But I stood there staring at my feet and wondering when I would be able to talk to him alone. Seth's eyes kept darting from me to my sister.

I finally looked up and Greg smiled at me—the same way as I remember—and I lost it. I forgot all my fears of Greg hating me and I knew that when he smiled at me that way, he'd never hate me. I wrapped my arms around him and I was so relieved when Greg did the same. He was so warm and smelled so amazing with a small hint of alcohol but I didn't care. We both pulled away at the same time and smiled. I knew that there was no ignoring the fact we'd have to talk sooner or later, but right now that could wait for just a little while longer.

The church door opened and we all turned our heads to see Jacob walking outside the church in a matching suit just like Seth's. "Hey, Seth. The wedding's about to start; you need to come inside."

Seth nodded and followed Jacob into the church and Stella, Greg, and I followed both of them to find empty seats towards the back. The wedding was quick—of course, I wasn't paying attention to it anyway. I was concentrating more on the way Greg's warm hand intertwined with mine and how much I wanted to kiss him.

We followed the rest of the guests towards the reception hall. Greg, Stella, and I took a seat at our own table and waited as the wedding precession walked into the room. The room clapped when the newlyweds took their seats and Seth came in shortly after and sat at our table.

That same awkwardness from before returned and we sat in silence while some of guests started lining up for food.

"I'm going to go get some cake," Stella said, rising up from the table.

"Me too," Greg said.

Greg and Stella walked off towards the table with cake and punch, leaving Seth and I alone at the table. Seth kept his eyes on Stella as she chatted with Greg while they were in line. He reached up and ran a hand through his already messy-looking hair. Since Seth had imprinted on my sister, he'd never been the same as before. I knew that the whole imprinting thing frustrated him and I could see that in face now. But I wished he would tell me what was so bad about it. To me, it seemed like a good thing. Seth wouldn't have to worry about loving me anymore. I wasn't trying to say that he would immediately fall in love with Stella—I knew the imprint didn't work that way—but he should at least just give it a try and maybe then he wouldn't be so…determined on keeping himself away from her.

"Why don't you talk to her," I asked as Seth continued to stare at my sister.

"What," he said absentmindedly.

"Talk to her," I said, nodding towards Stella's direction. "Talk to Stella."

"I have talked to her before."

"No, I mean…like _really_ talk to her. Stop trying to stay away from her."

"What do you mean?"

"I see the way you look at Stella—it's the imprint. You can't keep distancing yourself away from her like something's holding you back…"

Seth looked away from me and back at Stella. "Something _is_ holding me back."

"What?"

He sighed heavily. "You."

"Me?"

He nodded and placed a warm hand on mine. "I still love you and I always will—I can't stop that. But I feel like if I really start to feel for Stella then I won't love you anymore…and I don't want that. I know I said before that telling you I loved you was wrong, but I'm glad I did."

"You can't keep thinking about me all the time."

"I know…but it doesn't help to let you go when you said you loved me back."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry about it," he whispered, moving his face closer to mine. His hand reached up and stroked my cheek. I had a weakness for his touch, the way his skin was so warm and soft against mine. I knew it was wrong but it also just felt…right. I wanted him to touch me more.

We both jerked away from each other at the same time when Stella and Greg arrived back at the table with their cake and punch. They both exchanged looks and I knew that Seth and I had guilty-looking faces. Greg kept his attention on his cake and didn't even look at me—not that I blamed him. It probably looked like to them that we were about to kiss or something. An awkward silence hung in the air around the four of us and I hated it. Why was I so sick and twisted in the head? Why was it necessary for me to dangle two guys on my fingers? I hated myself more than anyone else could at that moment. I had to set this right.

**Please Review :D i love it when you guys review**


	4. Apologize

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and all the people added this story to thier favorites and your alerts. It's very encouraging to know that people are still interested in reading even when i dont get many reviews. So thank you so much for sticking with me. These past few days have been hectic so i wasn't sure if i was going to be able to update today or not, but i am. The next time i update (whenever it that is) i'll be posting two chapters. So make sure to review. Hugs and Kisses to all those who do ****

**Disclaimer: i do not own anything from the twilight saga and sadly, i never will. **

**Bree POV **

The lights in the reception hall began to dim just as Stella and Greg finished up their slices of cake. Leah and her new husband walked out onto the middle of the floor and the DJ started up a slow lovey-dovey song. They danced so peacefully, smiling up into each other's faces and the whole room was filled with oh's and aw's. True love—it was beautiful thing and I envied it.

Why couldn't my love life be that easy? Why couldn't I seem to possibly figure out which guy I loved?

Seth was so important to me. He'd been my best friend for over five years and there was no way I could let that friendship go to waste. And that was why I loved him—he knew everything about me, I could share things with him and know he wouldn't judge me (most of the time). But when we truly shared our feelings with one another, things just got complicated. It was filled with 'I love you but I shouldn't love you.' Then there was Greg—the school bad boy, my hot make-out partner. We'd both gone through different kinds of heart break and losing the ones we loved. Even though Greg wasn't a vampire like me, he still _understood_ me. We had so much to share with each other—but not everything, not when he was still human. If I really wanted to be with him, I'd have to change him. But I didn't want to feel like I was obligated to do so…

I looked around the table at the people who mattered most in my life, wondering what to do next. Stella watched the bride and groom float over the dance floor with wishful eyes. Seth had his eyes glued to Stella with a thoughtful look on his face. And Greg—poor, Greg—was staring off into space with a blank look. _God, I wish I could read minds like Edward. _

I lightly placed my hand on Greg's and he jerked out of whatever thought he was having previously. "Can I talk to you for a minute," I asked. Greg nodded and I stood up from the table. Seth and Stella glanced at the two of us as we left the room. I couldn't just sit there and have a good conversation with him while those two would be listening intently to every word—especially Seth. I led the way out of the reception room—to where, I wasn't sure; I didn't know the building well at all. Every room we passed was locked until I finally got to one labeled: _Ladies Lounge_.

The room was decorated nicely. There was a burgundy couch, with a matching recliner. A small chair side table held a gold lamp and a couple of candles. There was even a really nice TV. We entered the room and closed the door behind us. The light was very dim when I turned it on but I could still see perfectly. Greg stood against the nearest wall with his arms crossed over his chest and I took a seat on the couch. I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself and figure out what to say. I hadn't exactly had this all planned out.

"I'm sorry," I finally blurted out. I waited for him to say something…anything, but he stayed quiet and reserved. He sighed heavily and kept his eyes on the wall behind me. Maybe he really did hate me. Maybe all the time when he'd intertwined his fingers with mine was just a way of putting me down easily. I could understand that, I just wish he wasn't so quiet about it. "Say something, please," I whispered. "Yell at me…anything is better than this…"

He still did nothing and I guess that hurt me more than him telling me how he truly felt. "I understand if you hate me and you never want to see me anymore after today…you can tell me that and I'll obey your wishes."

"No," he said finally. "I don't hate you…I'm just overwhelmed right now. Seeing you again today is just…" He sighed. "No words can describe how I feel right now."

I sighed. It felt good for him to say that he didn't hate me. But I knew he still had to be mad at me. I looked at him from across the room and I was finally able to get a good look at him. Seth was right; he had changed and not in a particularly good way. His green eyes didn't sparkle the same way as they used too. He looked like he'd lost weight and I could still smell a hint of alcohol in his presence.

"I never should have left Forks," I mumbled.

"You don't have to apologize," he said. "I understand why you did what you did."

"You do?"

He nodded. "Seth told me…about what happened that night between you two. At first, I was mad…really mad… But then I understood why. I'm just a human. I can't keep up with you. I understood that you left because you didn't want to be tied down to me…you want a boyfriend that can keep up with you. I get that…that's why you left…because you didn't want to see me anymore."

I stood up from the couch, shaking my head. "That's not why I left Forks. I only left because I just needed to think and I didn't want to hurt both you and Seth."

"I know you love him," Greg whispered.

"But I love you too." I walked closer to where Greg was standing against the wall with his head down.

"I see the way he looks at you. And the way you look at him," he continued. "I can't compete with that."

"You don't have to compete with anything. It's not some kind of game."

"Who do you love more then?"

"I love you both," I replied quietly. "…I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry for who you love," he said. "I understand. I'm not sorry for loving you…even if you love Seth too." He was quiet for a moment, looking me straight in the eyes and I wondered what he was thinking about. Greg stepped closer to me and cupped my face in his hands. "None of that matters right now. All I care about is being with you…right now."

He leaned his face towards mine and our lips finally touched. And I realized that Greg was right. Nothing else mattered when we could finally be together. At that moment all I cared about was being him and I knew he felt the same way. I gently wrapped my arms around Greg's neck as he began to deepen the kiss. It was almost a relief for us to be this close after so many months. It felt surreal for us to finally be in a room alone and together.

Greg held my waist as we began walking back towards the couch, still not releasing our lips from each other. I laid down on the couch while Greg began shrugging out of his suit jacket. He brought his lips back to mine and pressed his body against me. I ran my fingers through his hair as he whispered in my ear, "I've missed you. I love you."

"I love you too," I replied as he kissed my neck and shoulder…

**Seth POV **

Bree stood up from the table along with Greg and left the reception hall, leaving Stella and I sitting at a table alone. After watching her sister leave the room, Stella sighed and turned her attention back on Leah as she danced with her new husband. The song changed to a faster pace and then blended in with a different song as guests began to start dancing. Stella pulled a cell phone out from a small purse she was carrying and checked the time.

It was awkward sitting a table with just her. I knew I should say something but I wasn't very good at starting conversations. The last time I'd seen and talked to her had been a few months ago. I guess I could bring up something from then.

"So, how's your car," I asked suddenly. It was the first thing that came to my mind.

Stella smiled beautifully at me. "It's fine. I drove it to Tacoma today to see Bree. It's been acting better. Thanks for whatever you did to it."

"No problem." I remembered that after I'd driven her back to Portland, I had a friend of mine to fix it up and drive it to Portland so her parents wouldn't find out about her little road trip.

Stella looked down at her half-eaten cake and sighed before looking back up at me. I was stunned by the way her blue eyes were still able to sparkle in the dimmed light. "Do you really like my sister," she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Sure. She's a good friend."

"I mean, like, are you in love with her?"

I froze. "Um… a little."

"And what about that other guy she walked off with," Stella asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. He loves her."

Stella sighed and stared off into space, frowning. I wish I knew what was bothering her but I decided not to interfere.

"Do you want to dance," I asked.

"No thanks. I'd rather go home," she replied and I thought I saw something shiny and wet falling down her cheek. There's nothing worse than seeing a girl crying and not know what's upsetting her. I wanted to reach over and hug Stella but that might be a little weird. We hardly knew each other. But she was my imprint and it was kind of my job to make her happy…to make her feel better.

"Is something wrong," I asked quietly.

She shook her head. "It's nothing," Stella replied, wiping a tear off her face and turning her head away from me. Stella stood up from the table and flipped her hair a little so that it would shield her face. "If you see my sister, tell her I'll be waiting by the car." And then she walked off without looking back. I had the urge to follow her but I decided I needed to find Bree first.

I walked the same way Bree and Greg had earlier, following Bree's scent. I passed by a few locked doors and finally reached one that was unlocked. I considered opening the door and busting in on whatever romantic escapades they were having but decided against it. They could be right in the middle of something I didn't want to see. So, I knocked steadily and a second later Bree opened the door. Behind her I could see Greg was sitting on the couch with a smile on his face, but I ignored him.

"Bree, your sister is outside waiting for you," I said. "She was ready to go home and seemed kind of upset."

"Okay," Bree replied. She turned around towards Greg and smiled. "I'll see you later," she said and he nodded.

Bree and I walked out past the reception hall and outside towards the parking lot. We stood there in silence waiting to see which person would say 'bye' first. But I didn't want her to leave yet; I didn't have any time with her today. I'd been too busy worrying about my imprint and how I should act around her.

"Thanks, Seth," Bree said finally. "For inviting me to your sister's wedding so I could set things right."

"What did you guys talk about in there," I asked.

"Just stuff," she replied smiling. "Well, bye Seth."

"Bye."

**Bree POV**

I said bye to Seth and before I could even stop myself, I kissed him on the cheek. It was 'thank you' kind of kiss, nothing epic or earth-shattering, but I still felt something between us. I'd come to Forks today thinking I could convince myself of only loving one person, but I ended up just confusing myself even more. I didn't know what to do anymore.

I turned away to walk towards my car but Seth grabbed me by the wrist and turned me around to face him. He placed two fingers under my chin, bringing my face up to his. I could feel his warmth around me and his lips were so close to mine. My brain was already fogging up; I wasn't thinking clearly.

"Seth, I can't," I murmured.

"Shhh." Seth gently and slowly ran his lips across mine. It wasn't exactly a kiss, but it was enough to make me want one. Just as I was about to kiss Seth—really kiss—he pulled away chuckling. "I still love you," he whispered. "No matter how much you say you love Greg."

Seth winked before walking away from me. I stood there, frozen like a statue. What just happened here? I shook my head and began walking towards my car. I spotted Stella sitting outside the car on the ground with her heels taken off her feet. Her legs were bent towards her chest and her arms were wrapped around them. I heard her sniffle as I bent down beside her.

"Stella, what's wrong?"

She looked up at me, frowning with tears streaming down her face. "Nothing you would care about…I'm just ready to go home."

"Okay," I said as I began unlocking the doors and getting in on the driver's side. Stella got in the car and sat beside me, crossing her arms over her chest. "Stella, I know something's bothering you. Tell me." She shook her head just as I turning onto the highway.

I'd been driving for about thirty minutes when she finally talked to me. Sort of. "It's not fair," she sneered.

"What's not fair?"

She sighed heavily. "You've got two guys that are both in love with you and you can't even choose which one you want. You have to have them both to yourself. Seth won't even talk to me because he's so in love with you. I like him, but he's never going to like me back. It's just not fair."

I was silent and Stella turned her face towards the window and stared at the trees passing by. She was right. It was different having another person point out how selfish you were being. It was hard enough knowing Seth had imprinted on Stella but now figuring out that Stella actually liked him back made it even worse. I was a terrible person. I was being so selfish. I hadn't even thought about Stella liking Seth. But, maybe this was good thing…maybe this would solve everything.

**Love triangles. They're so difficult. Seth will come to terms soon enough and finally realize that he needs to stay away from Bree. I promise. **

**Now Press that blue button for me :) Give me some ideas**


	5. The Right Choice

**A/N: Took me a while to finally get this posted. I've had a busy week lately. My friend just had her baby, so i was at the hospital working on this and trying to pass the time. Then i kept re-writing it because it still didn't feel right. Then the chapter accidentally got deleted, so i had start all over. I said i was going to post two chapters, but i decided to combine the two and make one big one. And i finally decided to read the short second life of bree tanner and i all i can think about right now is diego. That story was sad. But anyway, here it is, finally. Thank you to all who continue to read and review. I love you all :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the twilight saga. **

I was always running away from my problem instead of facing them head on. That was my dilemma and it seemed to be making itself known again. I knew I couldn't stay away forever this time; I had to face my troubles as soon as I was back in Tacoma. But this time, I just needed someone I could really talk to…someone who would really listen. That was why I was sitting here on an airplane on my way to Vancouver to visit the Cullens.

The flight from Seattle to Vancouver was shorter than I expected and I arrived in good spirits. I was happy to finally get to see Alice in so many months—I knew she'd seen me coming anyway, so it wasn't going to be a surprise when I showed up at their door. I grabbed my luggage and began walking towards the front of the airport to rent a car. But instead there was a person standing right in front of me with a huge grin plastered from ear to ear. He was very tall and athletically built with short dark hair and gold eyes that matched mine.

Emmett_. _

He swept down into a comical bow. "Your transportation awaits, my dear," he said in a butler-friendly voice.

"Emmett," I said smiling. "I've missed you."

He grabbed me up in a big hug, my feet not touching the ground. "Baby Bree, you haven't changed a bit."

We both chatted as we walked towards the parking lot. Emmett stopped at a shiny black limousine. "Is this what you drove here," I asked confused and he nodded. "What ever happened to living inconspicuously?"

Emmett's booming laughter filled the air around us and people stopped and stared. "I don't live inconspicuously. That's all Edward and Carlisle's idea. And this was my idea; special car for a very special girl."

I giggled and Emmett grabbed my luggage and stashed it in the limo. He opened the door for me like a gentleman and I scooted inside. But I noticed I wasn't alone. There was another person sitting beside me with a smile and shoulder length blond hair sending out love and affection. I turned my face to the silent empath, Jasper.

"Well, darlin'," he said. "I feel like it's been years."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around Jasper. I felt my body bubble up with all the love and comfort in the world and I felt even happier than I had when I'd seen Emmett.

We drove through the Canadian wilderness past the main roads of Vancouver. The limo was turned onto a small avenue which led right up to the biggest house I had ever seen. It was more like a castle than anything else. The Cullens were living large in Vancouver. I heard Jasper silently chuckle as he saw my reaction towards the huge mansion in front of us.

I hopped out of the car and walked towards the front door. Before I could even knock, the door swung open and a quick blur of white and black threw their arms around me. Her expensive bracelets dangled around each wrist and she smelled expensive. Alice. I hugged her back and we both stood back to look at each other.

"You should have seen how happy she was when she saw the vision of you coming to visit," a voice said from behind me.

"Carlisle," I said as I recognized the man in front of me and beside him was Esme. I was quickly enveloped into a comforting parental hug.

"Don't you ever stay away from your family that long again," Esme whispered.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied.

Alice wrapped her arm around mine. "Come on, Bree," she said with a wide smile. "Let's go inside so you can see your new room."

"Alice," I protested. "You know I'm not going to be staying long. You didn't have to fix up a room for me."

"I know," Alice said as she dragged me in the house and up the stairs. We passed by many rooms and walked down never ending hallways. The place was huge; it was more like a hotel than a house. Alice finally stopped at a closed door and turned around to face me with a beaming smile. "Are you ready," she asked, like this was some kind of bug surprise. I nodded slowly.

Alice clapped her hands together a couple of times and opened the door to reveal the most beautiful room I had ever seen. The walls were painted the prettiest lavender. All the furniture in the room was black—including a dresser, a bedside table, and a mirror rimed in black. In the middle of the room stood a four-post canopy bed decorated with a black and white striped comforter. There was a large black and white photograph of the Eiffel Tower hanging on one wall and surrounding it were other black and white photos of different places in Paris—a café, a carousel, a fountain.

I opened my mouth, trying to pick out the right words that correctly described the room but I couldn't. The room looked like something that belonged inside the pages of a magazine instead of someone's home. "Alice," I said finally. "This is…" But I still couldn't describe how I felt or how the room looked.

"Gorgeous," she replied, filling in the missing word. I nodded. "I know. Esme was looking at the pictures Jasper and I brought back from Paris and she had this amazing idea to decorate your room with a Parisian theme…Esme has such as eye for interior decoration."

"How is it?"

I turned to see Esme standing in the doorway of the room. "It's beautiful, Esme. I love it."

~.~.~.~.~

After unpacking all my things for the upcoming week, it was time for me to face the music and let Alice have her way with me. Sometimes her spa treatments weren't all too bad, but today I just wasn't in the mood for them. But I endured it and I was also able to tell Alice about everything that happened since the last time I'd seen her. I told Alice about that night in the woods with Seth, I told her about my time in Tacoma, and I sarcastically thanked her for sending Seth with the package for me. I even told Alice about Seth imprinting on Stella.

"Your sister," Alice asked as she cut, buffed, and polished every one of my nails metallic silver. "Wow."

I sighed. "Yeah."

"How do you feel about that?"

I froze; no one had ever asked me how I felt about Seth imprinting. Of course, I'd never wanted to admit my true feelings in the first place. I knew at first I was mad and then later it didn't bother me anymore. But ever since Stella had told me that she actually_ liked_ Seth, I was jealous…I was jealous over the fact that Seth may like Stella more than me in the future. I knew I should let him go, let him love someone else, but I was selfish and Stella was right.

"I understand if you don't want to tell me," Alice interrupted. "But I know you're trying to hide your true feelings."

I stared at my hands, not wanting to look Alice in the eye. Sometimes I hated that she knew so much about me. She probably knew I was jealous about Stella. Maybe she even knew which guy I would already pick…

"Alice, who do you see me with in the future?"

She shook her head. "You haven't chosen your path yet."

"And when I choose, you'll see that, right?"

"Yes."

"How will I know when I'm ready though…or which one is right?"

"You'll just know. No one can do that for you. It's all about what's in your heart. You love them both, but now it's time to really make a decision—which one do you love the most?"

~.~.~.~.~

I drove home from the airport and all I could think about were Alice's words: _Which one do you love the most_? I'd used my time in Vancouver to stay away from Greg and Seth and get my mind together. To focus. To realize my true love, I guess you could say. But now I was just stressed out. Today was the day I needed to make the choice and there was no way I could procrastinate against it anymore.

I pulled out my cell phone and texted Seth for him to come over to my apartment later. He responded immediately saying that he would be over soon.

The ticking from the clock on the wall was all I could think about as I paced back and forth through the living room. I glanced at the clock; it was only two o'clock and Seth would be here soon. Nervousness ran through my body as I heard Seth's motorcycle. Before he could even knock on the door, I had already opened it.

"Eager to see me," Seth said with a smirk on his face.

"Hey. Come in."

Seth walked inside my apartment and took a seat on the couch. "Why did you ask me over here today," he asked.

"Well, I've been thinking these past few days," I said as I took a seat beside him.

"Really? About what?"

"About us." The room was silent for a moment as I considered my words carefully. I was supposed to be telling Seth who I loved but for some reason with him sitting in front of me now, everything was harder to say. I couldn't seem to get the words out. My throat felt like it was closing up. I took a deep breath to calm myself, but it didn't work.

"What about us," Seth asked as he gently stroked my cheek. He must have sensed my internal struggle because he placed two fingers under my chin and lifted my face so I was looking straight into his dark perceptive eyes. "Hey. I get it. I understand. You're choosing _him_, aren't you?"

I nodded as a lump got caught in my throat. I swallowed. "It's just better for everyone if I do this," I said.

"Sometimes the better choice isn't always the right choice," Seth whispered.

"But in our case it is," I replied. "You're not mad at me, are you?" Ever since I'd finally decided that I would choose Greg over Seth, I always feared that Seth would hate me. I didn't want that. Seth was my best friend and I still wanted him around. I didn't want this to come in between us.

Seth shook his head and I was relieved. "No, I'm not mad at you. I always knew it would turn out like this anyway."

Seth always understood so much. And I loved him for that. I wrapped my arms around Seth and laid my head down on his shoulder. "I love you, Seth," I whispered as he placed his warm hands at the small of my back. "And I always will."

"I know," he replied. "I'll always be there for you. No matter what."

"Thank you for understanding."

I wasn't sure how long we sat there enjoying each other's embrace; I lost track of time. But I didn't care. I knew this was probably going to be last time I saw Seth for a while and I wanted to spend as much time as possible in his arms. They were so comforting. So warm. I got lost in the sound and feel of his massive heartbeat against my chest. I slowly turned my face towards him and kissed his neck. Seth responded and turned his face towards mine, our lips just inches away from each other. He leaned in closer to me and I finished the distance between us. We kissed.

Our last kiss.

Our good-bye kiss.

**Seth POV**

I left Bree's apartment shortly after and the weird thing was I wasn't disappointed. At all. I knew it was time for me to get over Bree. She loved Greg; they meant for each other. Anyone could see that. And when I was around, I was just the third wheel. I was holding them back. It was time for me to move on.

I revved up my motorcycle and headed out of Tacoma. But instead of driving toward La Push, I was on my way to Portland. It was time for me to finally realize that I needed to be there for _her_. My imprint. Stella. I'd been so interested in winning over Bree, that I hadn't even noticed that Stella was developing feelings for me. Bree told me about the conversation she'd had Stella in the car after Leah's wedding.

When I finally arrived in Portland, it was already sunset. I was surprised at how quickly I remembered the way to Stella's house. There were no cars outside in the driveway and I couldn't see any lights on either. I wondered if she was actually home. I thought about driving home to La Push but decided against it. This was the right choice, like Bree said. It was better for everyone—Bree and Greg, Stella and I. But what if Stella didn't even want to talk to me? There was good chance of that. But the only way to find out was to suck up some courage and knock on the door.

I stood outside for only a few moments before she opened it. Stella stood there in a sky blue camisole and boxers. Her black wavy hair hung down past her shoulders and the ends were a little wet, like she'd just taken a shower. I had to admit, she was pretty…even prettier than her sister.

"Hey," I finally said, grinning.

"Um…Hi?"

"You look surprised to see me."

Stella smiled and then her smile quickly morphed into a frown. "Oh, my god…She told you!" Stella groaned. "I can't believe her…"

"I'm guessing that means you don't want me to come in?"

"Oh, no. That's fine. You can come in," Stella said nervously.

She moved away from the doorway and allowed me to walk in. It was a nice house and decorated sophistically. There were plenty of family photos hanging all around—including some of Bree before she was turned. Stella and Bree had the same blue eyes. They really did look like twins. I hadn't realized that Stella had come and stood by me until she said something.

"Everyone always says I look so much like my sister before she left. We have so many pictures of her and my mom and dad even fixed up a room for Bree…just in case she wanted to come back home."

"It must have been hard," I said.

Stella nodded. "It was. Everyone gave up. My parents pretend to act happy like it doesn't bother them, but I know it does."

"Are you ever going to tell them about Bree?"

"I can't; Bree told me not to. I'm sure they wouldn't believe me anyway."

We were both quiet, staring up at Bree's old picture until Stella finally broke the silence. "What are you doing here exactly? Did Bree send you or something?"

I shook my head. "No. I came because I wanted to. I've actually wanted to visit you before but I was nervous."

"What made you want to come now," Stella asked, looking up into my eyes.

"Ever since the wedding, I've just wanted to get to know you. And then Bree told me about how you felt about me…Do still feel that way?" Stella's cheeks reddened. "If you want me to leave, I will," I continued.

"No. No, you don't have to leave. It'll be good to have a little company, I guess," she replied.

We sat on the couch talking about anything that came to our heads. She told me about her friends and I told her about mine. We talked about our favorite things to do and even watched TV. She told me about her parents being on some kind of vacation in Amsterdam. I told Stella about my mom and I even told her about my dad dying. I'd never really talked about it since that day and I hadn't realized how hard it would be to actually get out. But Stella was comforting; she laid her tiny hand on top of mine and that one little gesture made everything feel better. I asked Stella about what kind of music she liked and it was interesting to know that we had a little in common. She even told me about her obsession with oldies music, jazz, and disco.

"I love disco music," Stella said, her blue eyes sparkling as she told me this bit of information.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I even have an old record player for all my old music. It used to all be grandfather's."

So, we ended up sitting on her living room floor listening to music. Stella brought out the old record player and crates of old records. It was cute how she knew every word to every song from the Jackson 5, The Bee Gees, Diana Ross, and ABBA. Anything you could think of, Stella had. She tried to get me to dance to _Stayin' Alive_, but that was no; I was not about to start dancing to disco music. She took the recent record off of the player and began searching for something else to listen to.

Finally, Stella smiled and set the record of a different song. I automatically recognized the soulful ballad that was used at almost every wedding I'd been to—it was even used at Leah's. The song was _At Last_ by Etta James. Stella sat back down on the floor and began looking through more crates of records and then I got an idea. I gathered up my courage, walked over to where Stella was sitting, and outstretched my hand to her. She glanced up and quickly understood my gesture. Stella placed her delicate hand in mine and stood up in front of me.

Our eyes captured each other's and everything just seemed to fall into place. I gently wrapped my arms around her waist as she placed one hand on my shoulder and the other around my neck. We moved slowly to the beat of the music; it was like floating on clouds. I pulled Stella closer to me and she laid her head down on my chest. I breathed in the intoxicating scent of her hair. Everything was just so right about this moment. I wondered why I'd been so stupid in the beginning—trying to keep myself away from this beautiful girl. This was the way it was supposed to be.

I never wanted the song to end. But she'd put it on repeat, so it was like it never did. We stood there, embraced in each other's arms, dancing to the same song over and over again. And the realization dawned on me: I was falling, and falling hard for this girl.

**Well, how was that? Took me days to write it, but i finally got it out. I hope it wasn't too long. I know a lot you probably wanted Bree to end up with Seth, but i just couldn't do that. This was the right choice. And I'm sorry if you don't like it. Please Review. Tell me what you like or don't like. **


	6. Wolves and Poker

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews on last week's chapter. I really like to hear what you guys think. I'm sorry if you dont like that Bree picked Greg. But i felt like i should write it that way because i have some things in store for the two of them. But anyway, this chapter is a pretty long one. So take your time to read it because a lot is happening. I hope you're not getting tired of Seth because this chapter is also in his POV. But dont worry, the next chapter is all about Bree. **

**Disclaimer: i do not own the twilight saga. **

**Seth POV **

It had been two weeks since the realization of my imprinting finally made itself noticeable in my head. I was glad I was able to admit to myself that I had feelings for Stella. Our relationship had gone from barely knowing each other to being inseparable in just a few hours. We shared everything with each other…well, almost everything. I still hadn't told Stella about me being a werewolf. I was nervous that once I told her that important part of myself, she'd be afraid of me. And I didn't want to ruin the progress we had.

I knew the time would come soon. But for me, it was all about timing. I wanted to tell her at the _right time_—if there is such a thing. Why was this so hard? None of the rest of the pack would help me. How was I supposed to know what to do? I thought about Jake and Ness. For them, it was so easy: Ness had grown up knowing that Jacob was a werewolf. But for me and Stella, I have to start off fresh.

"Where exactly are we going, Seth," Stella asked. I turned around with a blank look on my face. I'd almost forgotten she was in the car; she'd been so quiet since I picked her up from her house.

"Um…my place," I replied, turning back around and look straight at the road.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stella raise an eyebrow. "And why are we going there?"

"It's my mom's fiftieth birthday party and I invited you."

"Your mom's birthday party?" I nodded. "So, I'm meeting your mom? You should have told me earlier, I would have dressed better."

She was looking down at her clothes, doubting herself. "I think you look fine," I said, trying to make her feel better. Stella looked perfect to me; she always did. Today she was wearing a flimsy-looking red tank top, denim shorts that fit her like a second sleeve, and black converses.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. It's just a cookout with a few friends and family members. No biggie." It wasn't a big deal for her, but it was a big deal for me. Everyone wanted to meet Stella; they were all curious about what she looked like. And as much as I tried to describe her to them, they always insisted that I just bring her over.

We arrived at my mom's house in La Push a few minutes later. Before I had even gotten out of the car, I could hear the rowdy laughing and the extreme bass of the music. The heavy scent of barbequed meat drifted to my nose; I loved that smell. Stella hopped out the passenger side of the car and looked around. "So this is where you live," she asked with the cutest smile on her face.

I walked over to where she was standing and draped an arm around her shoulders. "Yep."

"Sounds like a big party is happening out back," Stella said.

I shrugged. "Like I said, it's just a few people. They're just really loud," I replied as we walked around the house towards the backyard.

And I was wrong. There were a lot more people at the party than I suspected. The backyard was packed with people from town, family members, guys from the pack, and people I'd never even seen before.

My mom was the first to come greet us in her birthday girl princess crown and her breath smelt like beer. How embarrassing. But, it was her birthday; let her get loose I guess. "You must be Stella," she said grinning like fool.

Stella nodded and smiled back nervously. "Hi, Mrs. Clearwater."

"Oh, please, honey. Call me Sue. And you are prettier than Seth said." Mom turned her head to me. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to give your aging mother a hug? I haven't seen you all day."

I smiled and gave my mom a huge hug. "Happy birthday, mom."

"Seth!" I looked up to see Paul, Emily, Sam, and Jared walking towards us. Jared wrapped his arm around my shoulder laughing. I introduced the four of them to Stella. And then Emily tugged Stella away to go meet other people at the party with Sam walking off to talk to Billy. So I was left standing there with Paul and Jared.

"So that's your imprint," Jared said suddenly while I watched from a distance as Stella was properly introduced to everybody. People grabbed her up in hugs as she smiled widely. But I nodded, answering Jared's question.

"She's pretty hot," Paul said and I punched him in the arm. "What? I'm not allowed to look or something?"

I ignored him. "And you said that she's the sister of the vamp girl," Jared wondered.

"Yep," I replied and walked over to a table with drinks—almost all of which being some form of alcohol.

"Does she know," Paul asked, grabbing a bottle of beer.

I already knew what Paul was referring to. "No. I haven't found the right time to tell her…"

Paul chuckled. "The right time? There's no right time to tell your imprint that you're a werewolf. Tell her now."

I hated when they were right. But, the same problem had been bothering me for days. It wouldn't really be difficult if I told her now. I had the support of family and maybe even a little demonstration. I could ask one of the guys to phase in front her from a distance… And then she would understand, right? She wouldn't run away, she wouldn't be afraid. Everything would be perfect.

I nodded to Paul and Jared before starting off in the direction where Stella was talking with Leah. But then I froze. I couldn't do it. Not now. I shook my head and said, "I can't do this. Not today. I'm not ready."

Paul and Jared were right behind me patting my back. "No problem," Jared announced. "Took me months to finally tell Kim."

"Chicken," Paul whispered. "But it's whatever. Let's go play some poker."

The three of us took a seat at the card-playing table with my uncle to play a couple games of poker. A little while later, I was losing pretty badly and Stella came over to sit on my lap. She gave me a smile that melted my heart and kissed me on the cheek.

"What was that for," I asked.

Stella shrugged. "Just because I wanted to." She glanced at my hand of crappy cards. "And because you're so cute when you're losing."

I laid my cards face down on the table. "Hey, guys. I'm out."

"No, no, no," Paul said frowning. "You're not backing out of the game now just because your little girlfriend decided to tease you and sit on your lap. We'll start over."

I shook my head. "I'm done."

"How about I play," Stella asked smiling at Paul.

Paul narrowed his eyes and glanced over at me. I just shrugged. "You know how to play poker," he asked.

She nodded. "My dad taught me. We used Oreo's and Chips A' Hoy's instead of money. I hope I still remember."

"Okay, so you take Seth's place. And we're playing with money not cookies, so you're gonna have to put a little cash on table." I took care of that and grabbed a crinkled up twenty out of my pocket while grinning at Paul. "Alright then. But just so you know, sweet cheeks, I'm the poker king in these parts and I never lose."

Stella titled her head the side and batted her eyelashes. "We'll just have to see about that," she said.

Paul began dealing out cards to the four players at the table and I sat back with Stella on my lap, ready to enjoy the show. More money was put on the table every few minutes and was beginning to rack up. I'd counted at least a hundred and fifty bucks. It was getting late and more of guests were starting to go home, leaving most of the pack and their imprints. People walked up to the table to watch the poker game, throwing out even more cash on the table. I ended up wrapping my arms around Stella's waist and lying my head down on her shoulder, whispering pointers on her next moves. But she was so good at playing anyway, she didn't even need them. And I had to admit, she had a pretty sexy poker face.

The game was drawing to close and the only ones left were Stella and Paul. They stared each other in the eyes, never blinking, and waiting for the other to back down. There was almost two hundred and twenty dollars waiting on the table for the winner and neither of them had backed down yet. But Paul wasn't lying, he never lost. Never.

But finally, Paul winked at Stella and laid his hand out on the table. "A full house," he said grinning as he began pulling the pile of cash towards him. "Game's over, sweet cheeks."

"Oh, not yet," Stella said, stopping Paul. I knew she had him and I just couldn't wipe the smirk off my face. Looks like the poker king wasn't going to be king for much longer. Stella laid down her hand of cards on the table and winked. "A royal flush." Stella bent over the table and patted Paul on the cheek before throwing his words back at him. "Game's over, sweet cheeks," she said and everyone around table started laughing and congratulating her. She scooped up the cash from table, leaving a few bills behind and began folding and stuffing them in her back pocket.

"Dude," Jared yelled. "You just got beat by a girl!"

"Looks like we're gonna have to take that crown away from you," Embry said, teasing Paul and punching him the arm. "And you call yourself the poker king." Embry started cackling like a hyena while Jared joined in. Paul pushed them both away from him, knocking over Jared's beer and the card table. Paul was breathing heavily and shaking.

"Damn, Paul," Jared said, chuckling. "It's just a game. Calm down."

Jared and Embry placed their hands on Paul's shoulders trying to calm him down. But it didn't work. And at that exact moment, I knew what would happen next. I pulled Stella out of the way as she was stuffing the last few dollars in her pocket before it happened. Paul busted into a giant wolf right in front of everyone. Right in front of Stella.

And before anyone could say a word, he phased back to his human self. Laughing. Jared and Embry laughed with him along all the rest of the remaining people at the party. Except for Stella. I quickly pulled her away towards the front of the house. Her blue eyes were wide with fear and she was shaking uncontrollably. I placed my hands on her shoulders. "Stella, calm down," I whispered.

She was panting and staring into my eyes. "He just…and then he…but he…"

"Shh. Shh. Shh."

She buried her face in my chest and rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. After a couple a minutes, her breathing slowed and she looked up into my eyes. "What's going on," she asked quietly. "What just happened?"

Tears were running slowly down her face. I wiped them away with my thumbs. And I knew this was time for me to tell her. I couldn't wait anymore. "Paul…is a werewolf," I told her. "And so is Jared and Embry and Jacob and Sam…And so am I."

Stella's eyes widened as she began backing away from me. This was what I'd feared. I didn't want her to be afraid of me. But she kept moving away from me, and I knew that was the case. Her back was completely against a truck and I tried to grab hold of her but she wouldn't let me. "Don't touch me," Stella said.

"I don't want you to be afraid of me. Please, Stella. Just let me explain."

"No," she whispered. "I just…I need to go home."

"Let me drive you."

She shook her head and walked away from me, getting into a nearby truck and driving off. I stood there realizing that she just drove off in _my truck_.

~.~.~.~.~

The morning sun shone brightly through the curtains in my room. I rolled over stiffly and took a deep breath. _Was last night a dream_, I wondered. I remembered driving with Stella to La Push…Stella met my mom…We played poker and she won…and then Paul phased into his wolf form…And then, what? I sat up in my bed thinking through the foggy haze in my mind. I told Stella about me being a werewolf and she left me; she drove off in my truck.

I leaned over to my window, peering behind the curtain. And there it was—my truck. My navy blue Chevy truck was sitting right outside. I knew last night wasn't dream; Stella drove off in the same truck. But there it was…and there _she_ was. But it wasn't Stella.

I hopped out of bed, tripped over a stack of old textbooks, and threw on some sweatpants over my boxers. I walked quickly out of my room and past the living room filled with sleeping people. "Morning mom," I yelled towards the kitchen where the smell of freshly cooked bacon tickled my nose. When I walked outside she was in the same spot as before—sitting on the hood of my truck with her eyes closed like she was tanning. Her fair skin sparkled in the sun like a million diamonds.

Bree kept her eyes closed even as I approached her. "I was wondering when you'd wake up," she said with a slight smile in her voice. "I could hear you snoring."

"What the hell are you doing here," I asked. "In the sun?"

She finally opened her golden eyes, turning her head to look at me. "Well, good morning to you, too."

"What are you doing here," I asked a second time.

Bree sighed. "Stella called me last night, crying; I could hardly understand her. She said something about you were going to hate her because she left you and took your truck. What did you do to her?"

I took a seat next to Bree on the truck and took a deep breath. "It was my fault…She found out about the werewolf stuff. Paul phased in front of her."

"And she freaked out," Bree guessed; I nodded. "Are you mad at her?"

"Of, course not! I should have told her before, and then maybe we wouldn't be having this problem."

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

"No, I have to do this. I just hope she'll listen."

Bree placed her small cold hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure she'll come around. Just give her some time."

"Thanks for bringing my truck back."

"You're welcome. I just wanted to help."

The sun disappeared, making the morning seem lifeless like usual. Bree and I were quiet staring up at the swelling clouds; I could feel that rain was coming. I wondered if I should say anything to break the silence, but it didn't really bother me that much. I was curious about how she and Greg were doing though. I hadn't had the chance to talk to her.

"Enough about my relationship problems," I started off. "What's been going on between you and Greg?"

"Not much. I've been keeping him away from the alcohol, helping to clean the house before his mom gets back. Boring stuff."

"That's cool."

"Well, I better be getting back to Tacoma. I got stuff I need to do." Bree hopped off the truck and I did the same. "It was good seeing you," she said smiling. "I've missed you." I pulled her into a tight hug and breathed in deeply. Her sweet scent burned my nose; but to me, it was a good burn. We finally pulled away from each other and said our good-byes. Bree gave me one last smile and in less than a second, she was running towards the direction of Tacoma.

A couple hours later, I arrived in front of Stella's house in Portland, Oregon. _It was now or never_, I thought to myself. Before I'd left my house, Paul had apologized to me over the whole phasing at the party thing. He said that he had forgotten Stella didn't know and it was all supposed to be a joke. I forgave him, knowing I couldn't be mad at him the first place. It was my fault Stella was scared to death in the beginning and I knew I should have told her earlier; but I just wasn't ready then. But, now I am.

I got out of my car and walked up to her house, ringing the doorbell. Her smiling mom answered the door. "Seth, it's good to see you," she said. I'd been coming over to Stella's house so much in the past two weeks that her parents knew me. "Stella's out back in the pool. You can just walk around the side of the house."

"Thanks." I walked around to the back of the house where the family pool was. I could see her swimming under the water. Once Stella heard me, she stepped out the pool—water dripping from her body—and wrapped a towel around herself. She walked to stand in front of me but looked straight down at her feet.

"Listen, Stella, I'm sorry," I said.

She stared up at me, shaking her head. "Don't be. I was stupid. I freaked out."

"You had every reason to be freaked out…I just don't want you to be afraid of me now."

"I'm not. I want to know everything though…everything about you being a werewolf." So, we sat down on the lounging chairs on her patio and I told her everything and anything I could think of. She listened attentively, asking a few questions along the way. But she never freaked out, not even when I had to explain the imprinting thing. She actually looked pleased and little happy at that. And then I was quiet; I'd told her everything about me and I felt good about it. I didn't have to hide anything from her anymore.

"Will you change for me," Stella asked.

"Oh no. I can't do that here. Not with your parents still in the house. They could come outside and see that…And then…"

Stella nodded. "Okay, then. Later," she replied smiling. "So, you're really a werewolf?"

"Yep. If that scares you, I can leave," I said standing up.

"No," Stella yelled, standing up in front of me. "Don't leave. It doesn't scare me anymore. It doesn't even matter." She looked up at me and I was automatically trapped in the beauty of her eyes again. "It doesn't matter to me what you are; I don't care. The only thing that matters to me right now is how I feel about you. And I never want that to change."

I'd never felt happier to hear her say those words. It was amazing to know that she accepted me for what I was. I wanted to just pick her up and spin her around. I loved Stella. I loved her so much that it hurt. After a few speechless moments, I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to hold her, I needed to hold her. I gently held her chin in my hand and lifted her face to mine as I leaned in closer. Our foreheads touched and then our noses, until finally our lips were pressed together.

**Please review. Tell me what you like or dont like again. Hopefully i'll be able to update again on friday, maybe even thursday. Depending on how fast i can write this next chapter. If you want a hint/sneak peek of what's to come in the next chapter, you can visit my profile and scroll all the way down to where it says 'pictures' and click on the link for 'Bree's Necklace'. Isn't it pretty? :) **


	7. Diamonds

**A/N: This chapter took me forever to write and i'm not even sure why. I had it all planned out before and then when i finally started writing it, i just couldn't seem to get it out right. I went through about three different versions of this chapter and this is the longest. So, take your time in reading it because a lot is happening and it's also setting the stage for some future events. Just a heads up, Bree and Greg have thier first date in the chapter. yay! So, see if you can figure out where they're going quicker than Bree can :) Special thanks to my BFF (Ninjas and Disco Balls) for helping me out on the little "couple talk" bree and greg have at the end of this chapter. I talk about disco balls in this chapter just for you my darling. So without further adieu...**

**Disclaimer: i do not own twilight. **

**Bree POV **

Running was so exhilarating. I'd never been much of a person who enjoyed physical fitness. During my few years at high school, I'd despised gym with a passion. I was always the target in dodge ball and the slowest one in the class. So, running had never been a hobby of mine. But now, I loved it—the feel of the wind whipping through my hair, the way my feet barely touched the ground at all. I felt like I was flying and the world was a blur of greens and browns. It was the perfect way for me to just tone out the world and just focus on what was in front of me. I didn't have a care in the world and it always left me with a smile.

The run from La Push to Tacoma took hardly any time at all. So, I decided to slow down and do a little hunting on my way home. I spotted the perfect sized deer a few feet away and crouched down to attack. In seconds, I had it in my grasp and it didn't even have time to register what had happened. I sank my sharp teeth into its neck like a knife cutting through butter. The hot, rich liquid flowed down my throat quenching my thirst.

I sat back against a tree after I was finished, letting the sun shine down upon me. My skin glittering like beautiful diamonds—the disco ball effect still amazed me. I glanced down at my nails. I chuckled silently knowing that Alice would pissed if she saw how chipped my silver polish was. I lay down on the forest floor and gazed up at the blue sky, looking at the different shaped clouds.

My phone buzzed in my back pocket and I pulled it out to see an incoming text from Greg: _Hope ur excited bout 2nite. I am._

I smiled and closed my eyes. Tonight. Greg was taking me out on a date…A real date. I'd never been on an actual date before. I was curious about it. In movies, the guy picked up the girl from her house and they went out for dinner and movie. He couldn't possibly take me out to dinner; I don't eat. As for the movie, we watch TV together all the time; that wouldn't be very special. What did he have planned? I decided to text him back. Maybe I could get some hints out of him.

_Wat r we doin_, I sent.

_Not tellin. Pick u up at 9. _

I glanced at the clock on my phone. It was still morning and I had more than eight hours left. What was I going to do until then? I wish I still had the ability to sleep so I could take a nap. It sucks being bored.

**Greg POV **

I smiled when I got the text from Bree; she was so curious. I sent her a text message back saying that I wasn't going to tell her but I'd pick her up at nine tonight. I still had plenty of time to get everything done, but there was so much I had to do.

Tonight was our first date. It was kind of weird to think of it that way. The usual couple has their date first and then kisses, but we'd kissed many times before and never had an actual date. When I'd told Bree I was taking her out one night, her eyes had widened up like she was afraid of something. But, then I got nervous; I didn't know what I should plan.

Where do you take a vampire for a date? Taking Bree to some fancy restaurant was out of the question. So, I had to do a little research. I asked her a few questions about where she'd want to go. But when she was telling me about the room Alice had fixed up for her in Vancouver, I had the best idea _ever_. All I needed to do was call up my dad for a little extra cash and ask Alice if she would help and we were set.

Tonight was going to be amazing. I can't wait to see her face. Surprises are so much fun.

**Bree POV**

I'd spent about three extra hours lying on the forest floor "vampire napping", as I called it—closing my eyes and thinking of nothing else. I arrived home and still had hours to pass until Greg came to pick me up for our date tonight. I hated not knowing what was going on. Surprises are so annoying. I was so frustrated that he wouldn't even give me one hint. He could have just given me one word, something. I hated being in dark; I wanted to know so badly.

I took a deep breath and plopped down on my couch to turn on the television. I guess I can pass the time with some Lifetime movies. As soon as I'd turned to the Lifetime movie channel, I heard someone knocking. The UPS man was standing outside my door holding a large rectangular box. It wasn't like the usual packages I received; it was wrapped up in a stylish black and silver gift paper with a silver bow on top. Maybe he had the wrong person. "I have a package for Bree Cullen," the man said.

"That's me." He placed a clipboard in my hand. I signed my name where I was supposed to and took the package from the guy. "Thank you," I called after him as he walked towards his truck.

Before opening the package, I noticed a small card hanging on the shiny paper. I opened it and immediately recognized Alice's eccentric cursive on the inside. I read the note aloud: "Here's something special for your date tonight. Have fun! Love, Alice." I ripped off the wrapping paper and took the top off of the box. I took out a short, strapless black dress with a sweet heart neckline—simple, yet elegant. Underneath the dress was a pair of black gladiator heels and a small, velvet black box. Inside the velvet box was a pair of diamond studs.

I placed everything back in the box and sat back down on the couch to watch the movie. I sighed lightly. Even Alice knew about the date; I bet she has something to do with it... Alice loved surprising people.

A couple hours later, the movie ended and I had no idea what it was even about. I was just too busy thinking of all the possibilities of the mystery date. Every time I would think of something interesting, I would push it away because there was no way Greg was going to do any of that. I sighed; four more hours left so I decided on watching re-runs of _The Vampire Diaries_. But I quickly got bored with that and decided to get ready.

I took a shower for as long as possible—which was until the water started getting cold. I threw on a t-shirt and shorts while I painted my nails the same silver color as Alice had before; she should be happy with that. By the time I was finished with my hair and make-up, I only had an hour left. So I changed out of my lounging clothes into the dress Alice had bought for me along with the shoes and earrings.

At exactly nine, Greg knocked on the door and in less than a second, I had it opened. Greg was wearing a black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and blue jeans with sneakers. His green eyes glinted from the light when he saw me. His hand grabbed by hip and pulled me towards him. "You look amazing," he whispered. Greg kissed my cheek as he took my hand in his. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," I answered, closing the door behind me. Greg walked me to his car with a toothy grin on his face and opened the door for me.

Just as I was about to take a seat inside, he stopped me. "Oh wait! One more thing," he announced. Greg pulled out a black cloth from his back pocket and I was instantly confused. What was he doing? "Turn around," Greg said and I did. I realized the black cloth was a blindfold as he tied it tightly around my head, shielding my eyes.

"What is this for," I complained.

"You can't know where we're going until we get there," he answered with a smile in his voice.

I sighed and sat in the car with no more to say even though I was dying to ask more questions. A few moments I felt the car start up and we were driving. But I had no idea where he was driving because I couldn't see. I hated this, I hated surprises, and I definitely hated having my eyes blindfolded. It was just so maddening and I ended up groaning from frustration. I heard Greg chuckle from the driver's seat. "Just relax," he said.

"I hate surprises. Can't you at least just give me one hint," I pleaded.

Greg was silent for a couple seconds and then sighed. "Fine. I'll give you a one word hint: Photograph."

I sat back in the seat, more annoyed than before. Photograph. What the hell was that supposed to be about? I started contemplating all the places we would go that would involve a photograph...An art gallery! That's it. It has to be. I started getting a little excited from this new found information. I'd never been to an art gallery before. I love black and white photographs, especially the ones Alice had hung up in my new room in Vancouver. I smiled, knowing that I had everything figured out. There was no way Greg was going to be able to surprise me now.

The car stopped and I assumed we were at another red light, but Greg turned off the car completely. He leaned over to me in the car and whispered, "We're here. But don't take the blindfold off yet."

I did as Greg said and waited for him to open the door for me. "I know where we are," I said as he helped me out of the car.

"No, you don't." Greg closed the door and I felt him stand behind me as he placed his hands on my shoulders. He moved me forward a little, then to the right, and then forward again. "Keep your eyes closed while I take off the blindfold," he whispered. I let my eyes stay shut as I felt the light cloth of the blindfold being removed from my face.

"Are you ready," he asked; I nodded. "Okay, open your eyes."

So, I did and a huge dose of confusion swept over me. We were still outside and the only lights around were a special kind of streetlight. But that wasn't the reason I was confused. I looked in front of me and around…and I all I could see were airplanes. Why on earth would he bring me to the Tacoma Airport? What we going to do? Light some romantic candles in the cockpit and watch the planes take off?

"Greg, why are we at the airport?"

He smiled and handed me a small navy blue book. I opened it to reveal a picture of myself, my name, a made up birthdate, and other personal information.

"A passport," I asked, still confused. He nodded and his smile got even bigger. He then handed me a black and white photograph. It was the same picture of the Eiffel tower that hung in my room except in a smaller size. Now I was really confused. Greg looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I knew something was up…I was supposed to be figuring this out somehow…

_Think Bree_, I said to myself. _Add it all up_. We were at an airport. He just gave me a passport. There's a picture of the Eiffel tower in my hands. What does that equal? And then it hit me. I didn't know why it had taken me so long to figure it all out. It was just so easy.

Greg placed his hands on my shoulder again, staring me in the eye. "Do you get it now," he asked, grinning.

"Paris," I asked in a weak voice.

"Yeah."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"But…But," I couldn't think of anything to say. He was taking me to Paris? Was this a dream? No, of course not. I never had dreams anymore. "But, I haven't even had a chance to pack," I said weakly.

"Don't worry about it. Alice packed your luggage." I knew Alice was in on this some kind of way. "Do you not want to go," Greg asked.

I shook my head vigorously. "Yes, I want to go! This is just so…surreal right now. I've never been out of the country before."

"Well, come on," he announced. "Everybody's waiting." Greg grabbed my hand and pulled me off in the direction of a small private jet. I wanted to ask who everybody was, but I was caught off guard when we entered the plane. Rosalie and Emmett were there smiling and Esme was wearing a pilot's hat.

"Took you long enough," Emmett said laughing.

"Traffic," Greg replied. "And it took her forever to finally figure out what was going on." He pointed at me and smiled.

"Well, you know. Bree's not the sharpest knife in the drawer," Emmett said snickering. The impact of my hand on his shoulder reverberated through the plane. "Damn," Emmett groaned.

"Emmett, language," Esme scolded.

~.~.~.~.~

The plane ride from Tacoma to Paris was surprisingly short. Maybe that was because Esme was flying—I never even knew she had her pilot's license. But I wasn't really paying much attention. All I could think about was how nice Greg had been. How had he even pulled this off? A trip to Paris. That was honestly the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. How many guys take their girlfriend to Paris for a first date?

Through the whole flight the only thing I wanted to do was show Greg how much I loved him. I would kiss his cheek and his neck, hold his hand, and stare into his striking green eyes. I only heard Emmett gag once while he was watching us. He was too interested in Rosalie. Apparently they were going to be our "chaperones" for the week we spent in Paris. But Rosalie had told me during the flight that we could do anything we wanted; they were going to be too busy in their hotel room. I don't know why someone thought we needed a chaperone anyway.

When we arrived in Paris, it was still dark. The city was still alive and bustling with the exciting nightlife. We drove past the illuminated Arc de Triompre towards the place where we would be staying for the next week—the Hotel de Crillon. I was awestruck from the beauty of our hotel and surprised that the hotel manager allowed us to check in this late. Rosalie and Emmett were staying the room directly next to Greg and me.

The room was absolutely gorgeous. The marble floors shined brightly from the diamond chandeliers hanging overhead. The furniture was all decorated with cream and gold. The ceiling was decorated with a replica of the Michelangelo painting from the Sistine Chapel; I could stare at that all day. There was just so much beauty in the whole room. I couldn't' even describe it right. I walked out to the balcony from our room which had a view of the courtyard below and the glittering Eiffel tower in the background.

"This is place is beautiful," I finally managed to say.

Greg came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I know," he said. "But not as beautiful as you."

I turned my face inward and kissed him sweetly on the lips. "Thank you for this. Nobody's ever done this for me before."

Greg gave me a crooked grin and kissed me back. "You're welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far," he said right before yawning. "Well, you may not need sleep, but it do. And we have a big day tomorrow."

"Good night," I said smiling. "I'm just going to stand out her for a while."

"Alright. Good night."

I stood out on the balcony watching the remaining evidence of Paris' nightlife ending. I could hear a couple arguing in French somewhere near but that was cut off quickly with the wet noises of thier apologetic lips touching. Soon, the Eiffel tower stopped its lights from shining, the sound of cars honking slowed, and I could hear the soft snores of people in their rooms. It was peaceful.

I took off the heels I'd had on for hours and walked over to my luggage the busboy had brought up earlier. I shook my head in disbelief. Only Alice would pack three huge suitcases for a one week trip. The first bag was full of beauty products—shampoo, conditioner, lotions, makeup, and bottles with French labels I couldn't even understand, perfumes, nail polish, curling iron, straighter, combs, and brushes, anything you think of. The second bag held shoes and a few personal items including my iPod (How did she find that?), a stack of good books to read, and a camera. The third bag was all about clothes and some of the most expensive she could find apparently. I was surprised though; a lot of what Alice had picked out for me I actually approved of. Then there was the lingerie. Lots of silk. Lots of lace. Very flimsy. Very revealing.

I picked up some kind of black stringy thing and held it in front of my face. I honestly couldn't tell what it was. "What was she thinking," I mumbled.

~.~.~.~.~

The week in Paris flew by quickly. Every day Greg I went somewhere different than before and spent as much time together as possible. We spent a whole day in Louvre museum, took pictures in front of the Eiffel tower, visited Palace de la Concorde and Versailles. Rosalie and Emmett spent most their time cooped up their hotel room. The only time Rosalie came out was to go shopping with me in the fashion district. Greg and I walked through the courtyard one day and then spent the next lounging next to the indoor pool because it was sunny outside.

Every day was filled with something new. It was our last night in Paris and the four of us arrived late after an all night at a dance club. When we arrived back at the hotel, Greg and I separated to our individual bathrooms to take showers. I sat on the edge of the white marble tub looking through my clothes bag for something suitable to wear. The only thing I hadn't worn so far was some of the lingerie gowns; I was trying to gather up my courage for that. I pulled one out and stared at the short, black silk gown with the lace trim. It wasn't too bad; I could wear this along with the matching bra and underwear.

"Did you know we could get American channels on this TV," Greg asked as I walked out the bathroom; his eyes were planted on the television screen as he flipped through the familiar channels of MTV and Nickelodeon. He chuckled. "All this time, I've been watching those crappy French soap operas." Greg finally turned his head to look at me and then made a double-take.

"Wow," Greg said as I walked over to sit next to him on the couch. My body responded with excitement as his eyes surveyed me body from head to toe.

"I can't believe this is our last night in Paris. I don't want to leave."

"Me neither," Greg agreed, kissing my forehead. "I have something for you." He reached underneath the couch and grabbed a book-sized black box. It said something on the front in French but I couldn't understand it. Greg handed me the lightweight box and I opened it.

Inside lying on red velvet was a stunning necklace. Hanging on a silver chain was an elegant black diamond center surrounded with white diamonds. Everything about this piece of jewelry screamed expensive. "This is gorgeous, Greg. I can't take this. It must have cost a fortune," I told him.

Greg shook his head. "Money's not a problem with me. And you shouldn't worry about the cost anyway; it's a gift."

Greg took the box out of my hands and gently lifted the necklace from the red velvet interior. I kept my mouth shut and lifted my hair away from my neck as he clasped the hooks on the necklace together. It fell perfectly above my heart and I instantly found myself rubbing the little black stone absentmindedly. "Thank you," I whispered. I hated taking expensive gifts from people but I could see in Greg's green eyes that this was so special to him.

"Anything for you," Greg whispered back and smiled. He took my chin in his hand and lifted my face closer to his as our lips touched. His hands held my face to him and I wrapped my arms around his neck. The kiss changed quickly from being sweet and innocent to being hungry and desperate for each other. Greg moved his hand down my hip and grabbed my leg, bringing it around to where I was straddling him. His hands grasped my hips tightly as I rubbed myself against him. Greg stood up from the couch with me wrapped around his waist and began walking backwards to the bed. He laid me down gently, still not breaking our kiss. I let my hands slide up his shirt, loving the way his muscles tightened and relaxed under my touch. Greg sat up and pulled off his shirt, throwing it across the room before lying back down and continuing to kiss me.

I felt his hands sliding up my leg and under my silk gown, to my hip, and my waist before finally resting on my back as he tried to unclasp my bra. I rolled us over and slid away from Greg, quickly realizing what he had in mind at moment. And knowing that I shouldn't be encouraging it.

"What's wrong," Greg asked disappointedly.

I stared down at my hands, not wanting to look him the eyes. "I can't do this," I whispered.

"You don't want to?"

"It's not that I don't want to—I do. I just…can't...I don't think we should."

"Why?"

I sighed heavily. Why did he have to ask so many questions? How was I supposed to tell him that one of the reasons I didn't want to have sex with him was because I'd never had sex with anyone before. I was nervous, embarrassed even. And then, there was the whole me being a vampire thing. I didn't want to do anything wrong and hurt him or something. I focused my attention on the chain hanging around my neck, rubbing the black diamond.

"Oh," Greg said suddenly. I guess he finally figured it out. "You've never…"

I shook my head, answering his half-asked question. "I'm sorry," I apologized. "I never meant to lead you on or anything."

Greg grabbed my chin in his hands and brought my face up to where I was looking at him. "Don't apologize," he whispered. "I love you. And I'll wait until you're ready. I'm not going to pressure you."

I leaned in and kissed Greg on the lips, thanking him silently for everything. "I love you, too."

**Please review. I'd love to know what you think about that chapter, seeing as it took me so long to write. I'm feeling the symptoms of writer's block right now and i'm really not sure when i'll update next. But if you guys review, then there's good chance i'll try and update sooner. It's all up to you :) **

**P.S. if you haven't seen the picture of Bree's necklace from this chapter yet, you can find it on my profile. Scroll all the way down to pictures and click on the link for Chapter 7. **


	8. Baby

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS USED IN THE TWILIGHT SAGA. (though i wish i did)**

**A/N to Follow. Make sure to read. It has important information about the next chapter :) **

**Bree POV **

I laid my head down on Greg's shoulder and prepared for the long flight home. _Goodbye, Paris_, I thought as the plane flew over the city of love. I hated leaving but I knew it was time to return to the states. I couldn't wait to tell Stella and Seth all about it. Greg draped a warm arm around my shoulders and stroked my shoulder up and down with his fingertips. The past week had been amazing. I still couldn't believe that Greg had brought me to Paris for a date. It was more of a vacation than a date.

"I owe you when we get home," I said, looking up at Greg.

"You owe me," he asked, confused. "For what?"

"For this past week. I want to do something for you."

"What to do you want to do for me," Greg asked, smirking.

"How about you let me cook for you," I suggested. "Anything you want."

"You can cook?" I nodded. "Okay…," he answered, unsure.

When we landed in Tacoma a few hours later, Greg picked up his car from the parking lot and we headed over to Wal-Mart. Greg still hadn't told me what he wanted when we pulled up at the store. He said he'd probably like whatever I fixed.

Greg handed me the familiar blue basket once we entered the store. Wal-Mart never changed; it was the same in every city. I hadn't been shopping in Wal-Mart in years, but it still felt the same. I loved the sound of many conversations taking place around me, the beeping from the machines scanning everyone's groceries, and the fact that a person could buy anything and everything all at once. It was comforting to me in some way and reminded me of when I'd offered to go grocery shopping with my mom every time she went for mother/daughter bonding. I'd always get a new book or magazine when I acted right and helped her.

"Hey," Greg said, touching my shoulder and pulling me out of my reverie. "I'm going to go to the gaming section and check out some Xbox games… Um…Pick out whatever food you want to make; I'll eat it all."

I sighed and rolled my eyes and Greg took off in the direction of the back of the store. Typical guy. They never wanted to help out in picking out the food—always going off to play the demo games on the new consoles.

I decided on fixing lasagna. Everybody loves Italian food and I had the idea to make a little more and ask Stella and Seth to come over too. I'm sure Seth would love to. All you got to do is say food and he'll come running. I started in the bread aisle, grabbing a special type of bun to make garlic bread sticks. I grabbed a package of mozzarella cheese and a container of ricotta in the dairy aisle. I walked down the aisle containing all the noodles and grabbed a box of lasagna pasta and a jar of spaghetti sauce.

There were so many different brands and flavors, I wasn't sure which to pick. I couldn't remember which kind I had liked as a human. I randomly picked one that I was sure everyone would like and tossed it in the basket.

"Oops," a young girl said as she accidentally ran her basket into mine. But I couldn't blame her—the poor girl was juggling a whining baby in one arm and pushing her Wal-Mart basket with the opposite arm.

"That's okay," I replied. But then I recognized the pretty girl. Allison. I remembered her from the few months I'd spent at Forks High School. Allison and I hadn't gotten along well; she'd hated the way Greg and I had talked to each other because she was his ex-girlfriend. But Allison had shared something with me that she never told anyone. A few days before I left Forks, Allison revealed to me that she was pregnant…and the baby could be Greg's. I'd kept Allison's secret all these months.

"Bree?"

"Hey, Allison."

"Oh my, god, it's been forever," she said smiling.

I nodded. "How have you been," I asked politely.

"Really good," she answered. "I've been living here in Tacoma ever since I left Forks. I didn't know you lived here, too."

"Yeah…Um…So, this is your baby," I asked, gesturing towards the cute little baby boy Allison held against her.

"Yep," she said smiling. "This is him. He just turned three months today."

"What's his name?"

"Aiden…Do you want to hold him?"

"Um…I don't think that's such a good idea. Babies don't really like me…" But Allison handed me the baby anyway. I took him in my arms and tried hold him properly but it was just awkward. I remembered that as a human, babies had always kept their distance away from me. Anytime I tried to hold one, it screamed and stretched out of my reach towards its mother. But somehow I knew that Aiden would be different. He didn't cry or scream or stretch out, he just allowed me to hold him while he just stared at me. And All I could do was stare back.

Aiden didn't flinch away from my coldness as he wrapped his itty-bitty fingers around one of mine. He had a head full of dark little curls and those bright green eyes. No one had eyes like that except for Greg. And right then, I knew…I knew this was Greg's baby. But it wasn't a surprise, deep down I always knew somehow.

The baby laid its small head on my shoulder. "Aww," Allison said. "He likes you."

"It's his baby, isn't it," I asked quietly. "Greg is…"

I couldn't get the whole sentence out, but there was no need. Allison sighed heavily and nodded. "I knew as soon as I saw him for the first time. When I left Forks, I didn't tell him. I didn't want Greg to know." Allison paused for a short second and took a deep breath to steady herself. I could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I just…I didn't want this to come in between you and Greg. You two are so good together and I didn't want to ruin anything. I was no good for him. And I realized that when Aiden was born, I didn't want him, I didn't need him."

"Allison—" I started, but she cut me off.

"I'm not going to tell him. I think it's best if Greg doesn't know."

"Are you sure," I asked.

"Yeah. Aiden and I are doing just fine. I have my own apartment here in Tacoma, Aiden attends daycare sometimes when I have to work, and this fall I'm starting classes at the college." Allison outstretched her arms to me and picked up Aiden to place him back on her hip. He was so light, I'd almost forgotten about him. It was like balancing a feather in one hand. "Well, it was good seeing you," she continued. "I know we weren't best friends in Forks, but I really wish we had been. Or at least, I shouldn't have acted like such a jealous bitch around you. But, thank you for everything…for keeping my secret."

"You're welcome. It was good seeing you and good luck with everything," I replied smiling. "Maybe we'll see each other again sometime."

Allison nodded and then waved before walking off towards another aisle.

**Greg POV**

I found the game section with ease. It was always in the same spot in every Wal-Mart, though I hadn't been to a Wal-Mart in a long time. Forks was so small, it didn't even have one. _What kind of city doesn't have a Wal-Mart_?

I looked through all the Xbox games for something I didn't have already. No luck. So, I decided to enjoy myself and spend a few minutes playing Modern Warfare while Bree was shopping.

I felt a small tug on the bottom of my shirt and ignored it, but the tugging continued. I looked down to find the cause—a short, red-headed kid with glasses probably no older than eight years old. "Hey mister," the kid said. "Do you work here?"

"No, kid," I replied. "Now leave me alone."

The kid frowned. "Screw you," he yelled before running off. I chuckled and shook my head in disbelief; kids these days. I quickly got bored with Modern Warfare and decided to find Bree; I was sure I'd given her enough time to shop.

I walked down the aisles, searching for that one familiar face. Along the way I passed a group of teenage girls, probably a year or two younger than me. They whispered and giggled, staring me up and down appreciatively when I walked past and I gave them a polite smile. But I could care less—they weren't my type and I only had eyes for one girl…

My heart skipped a beat like always when I spotted her standing at the end of an aisle. She was talking to a girl with blond hair and holding a little dark-haired baby. A baby?

I slowed my stride and tried to get a good look at the blond girl Bree was talking to. How did Bree know a girl who had baby? But I knew blondie from somewhere… But I just couldn't seem to remember. The blond girl tossed her hair over one shoulder in a sort of annoying way. I tried to remember who used to do that… What was her name? It was right on the tip of my tongue… Ashley? Amber? Allison?

_Allison_.

With a baby? She must be babysitting, I assumed. I continued walking towards the two girls. I hadn't seen Allison in…months. She left Forks the day right after Bree left and no one knew why—not even her stuck up cheerleader friends. By the time I reached Bree, Allison had already walked off.

"Hey," Bree said smiling.

"Hey, did you get everything?" Bree nodded. "Um…Was that just Allison?"

Bree glanced down at her chipped nails. "Um…yeah," she replied quietly. Bree started walking towards the front of the store to check out and I followed.

"Whose baby was that?"

"Um…I don't know…"

And she didn't say anything more about it as we walked over to a checkout line. Something didn't feel right though. I felt like I missing something, or rather, not seeing something that was right in front of my face. I helped Bree place the items in the shopping basket onto the counter for the checkout lady while I was still thinking… Allison… Missing… Baby… Allison… Baby…

Did Allison's parents have another baby? That couldn't be it; she'd told me her mom had gotten her tubes tied (which was way too much information at the time). Did Allison have a baby? Surely not. But, that definitely could have been the reason for her leaving Forks so soon before graduation. The baby probably wasn't very old, maybe two or three months. But I counted the months in my head…

All the muscles in my body began to tense up as the pieces started to fall together. I felt like all the walls in Wal-Mart were crashing in on me; I couldn't breathe. Oh, no, it couldn't be… But it all led to the same outcome: Allison's baby… was my baby… Oh God, no...

Before I could stop myself, my mouth opened and I blurted out the first words that came to mind.

"_Holy shit_."

**A/N: Well, i apologize for not updating in soooo long. It's been a really busy week and i had a terrible case of writer's block before that. I'm not sure how often i'm going to be updating now, because school has started back (ugh!) and it's my first week of college. But, hopefully i should be able to update at least once a week or twice. I guess we'll just have to see. **

**I want to thank all of you, though, for continuing to read and review. And especially all of those who add this story to thier favorites and story alerts. It makes me so happy to know that you guys still continue to read. Also i want to thank Ninjas and Disco Balls for helping me get off my butt and continue writing this, even when i wasn't sure about what i was going to write about next. But, i'm sorry if this chapter was kind of uneventful; i promise it will get better. Just stick with me. **

**And... I have an idea :) **

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	9. Dead, Part 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the twilight saga or any of the characters associated with the twilight saga. I'm just borrowing for the sake of my imagination :) **

**Important Author's Note to follow. **

**Bree POV **

I watched from the corner of my eye as Greg stared off into space. Secrets always come back to haunt you; I should have told him a long time ago. I could tell he was thinking about Allison and I wondered whether or not he would figure out about the baby thing.

"_Holy shit_," Greg blurted out. Well, that answers everything.

The checkout lady paused a moment and stared wide-eyed at Greg; he looked like he couldn't even believe he'd just said that. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his already messy hair. I gave the checkout lady a timid smile as she continued scanning the groceries I'd picked out.

Greg pushed the shopping cart out of the store after everything was paid for and even put them in the trunk of his car. The ride back to my apartment was silent and I wasn't sure whether I should say something or not. So, I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to make him anymore annoyed than he already looked. His grip on the steering wheel tightened the closer we got to my place. I picked at the already chipped nail polish on my left thumb; the silence was making me nervous.

Greg packed the grocery bags into the house and set them on the kitchen table for me to put them away. He plopped down the couch and took a deep breath before leaning his head back and placing his hands over his eyes.

"When were you going to tell me," he asked quietly.

I flitted over to the couch, took a seat next to him, and sighed. Was I ever going to tell him about Allison? Or was I just going to keep it a secret for as long as possible? I'd thought about telling him, but I never had.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully.

Greg uncovered his eyes and sat up to look at me. "How long have you known?"

"She told me the day I left Forks, I think." I thought back to that day. It was normal school day—well, as normal as any day for a teenage vampire—and Allison had told she was pregnant when a teacher told me to go "fetch" her.

"I wanted to tell you," I continued. "But I just couldn't…"

"Why not?"

"Because Allison wanted it to be a secret. She didn't want you to know."

"And you actually listened to her," he asked, his voice getting louder. "I thought you hated Allison."

"Allison hated me; I never hated anyone," I replied. "And I kept her promise because i thought it would the right thing. When someone asks me to keep a secret for them, I keep it."

"Even when that secret had something to do with me? I'm just now finding out I'm a dad! What am I supposed to do?"

"You don't have to do anything," I whispered. "That's the reason Allison didn't want you to find out. She didn't want you to freak out and think you had to take care of her and the baby."

Greg stared up at the ceiling, keeping his face away from me. I placed my hand on one his to get his attention, but he jerked away from my touch.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I should have told you."

He stood up quickly and began walking towards the front door, grabbing his car keys. Just as he opened the door, I was there to close it.

"Where are you going," I asked.

"I just need to go for a drive. I need to think about some things." He kept his face turned away from me, like he didn't want to look me in the eyes again. I didn't like the way he was acting.

I took a step closer to him, blocking the door. "Please don't be mad me."

Greg didn't say anything. He kept his mouth shut and still refused to look at me. I sighed, mentally pushing away the pain that was developing in my chest, and stepped away from the door. He turned away from me and without saying another word or looking at me, he left. I closed the door softly behind him and paid close attention to the sound of his car as he drove away.

I sunk down to the floor. He hated me. I always managed to ruin things between us.

Why had I been so stupid?

Over the next three hours, I'd called Greg four times and each time he never answered. But I wasn't expecting much anyway. I finally stood up and walked over to the closest window. I hoped that maybe his car would be outside but it wasn't, and my hopes were instantly smashed. A slight drizzle of rain had begun to fall, resembling silent tears.

I decided to call him one last time before I gave up for the night. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed that he would finally answer. It rang once… twice… a third time…

"Hello."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Greg," I said. "I'm so sorry."

"Bree," Greg sighed. "Don't apologize. I'm sorry… I shouldn't have overacted like I did. It was just a lot to take in."

"I know. Maybe I should have told you though. I shouldn't have listened to Allison."

"No," Greg said. "You were keeping a secret for her because she wanted you too. You did the right thing. Everything's fine."

"You're not mad at me," I asked.

"Of, course not. It doesn't matter, okay. I love you."

"I love you, too… Where are you?"

"Um… On the outskirts of Port Angeles. I'm on my way back there."

"Okay. So, I'll see you later," I asked.

"Yeah...bye."

~.~.~.~.~

It had been about an hour and a half since I'd talked to Greg. I was waiting patiently on my couch, flipping through the channels, when my phone rang. I answered it, without looking at the name; I was sure it was Greg.

"Greg?"

"Um…no," the tinkling bell voice on the other line answered. It was Alice.

"Oh, sorry Alice."

"You need to get to the Port Angeles hospital now. It's Greg."

And that's all it took. I hung up the phone, stuck it in the back pocket of my jeans, threw on some shoes, and ran out the door. The rain continued to fall harder the closer I got to Port Angeles. I pushed myself to run faster; I needed to get to Greg. When I arrived at the hospital, my clothes were drenched and my hair was plastered to my head.

I hate hospitals. They smell too clean, like rubbing alcohol, bleach, and death. It made the hairs on my neck stand on end. I was already nervous. I'd hung up so fast on Alice; I hadn't even given her a chance to tell me what happened. But I had an idea that it was pretty bad… I just had this dreaded feeling deep in the pit of my stomach that something was terribly wrong.

I spotted Alice at the end of hallway speaking privately with Carlisle. When she saw me—or rather, when she saw what I looked like—she frowned. But I didn't have time to listen to Alice whine over my terrible current appearance; I needed to know where Greg was.

"Where is he," I asked; I could hear the panic in my voice.

Carlisle sighed and was the first to answer. "He's down the hall in the intensive care unit." I started to walk where Carlisle was referring, but he grabbed my arm.

"I must prepare you, though," he continued quietly. "He was hurt pretty badly in the car accident… The doctors have found no evidence of brain function. He has no response to pain and no reactions of any cranial reflexes."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"They've pronounced him brain dead."

Brain dead. _Dead_.

The world was closing in on me. I couldn't feel a thing; I was numb. I stared off into space as Alice wrapped her arms around my shoulders. This couldn't be happening. It was all some horrible dream; it was just a nightmare. None of this was real. If I just closed my eyes and opened them back up everything would be fine.

But everything _was not_ going to be okay. Greg was brain dead. I had the sudden urge to throw something, to kill something, to make someone feel the pain that I was feeling right now. But I knew those actions would be useless.

"I want to see him," I whispered.

"I don't know if that's going to be a very good idea. The doctors have already considered pulling him off life support," Carlisle said gravely. "They're not sure how long he's going to be able to make it."

"I've already seen the doctors do it," Alice spoke up suddenly; her eyes were slightly out of focus. "Ten minutes."

I shook my head in disbelief. "No," I whispered. "We can't let him die. Something has to be done."

"I'm not sure if that will work, Bree," Carlisle replied. "His head injuries are very serious."

"But you can change him, cant you. Please," I begged.

Carlisle moved closer and lowered his voice even more. "Sometimes vampire venom cannot always heal everything. Even if Greg is able to come back as a vampire, it's very risky. He could have serious psychological or physical problems in the future due to his brain damage. Things may never be the same…"

I sighed heavily with understanding. It was all over… "I just want to see him one last time, Carlisle," I said. "Please."

Carlisle finally nodded and moved aside. I walked down the ominous hallway—which seemed a lot longer than I thought; it almost seemed neverending now. I saw Greg's mom hugging a man and a woman across the hall. She didn't notice me when I slipped inside the ICU room.

I froze and almost broke down right there in the middle of room when I saw him. Greg hardly even looked like himself. He had a black eye; his face was swollen and covered in cuts and bruises. There were tubes coming out of every area on his body. The scary machines made loud noises to keep his heart beating steadily. I took a deep, shaky breath. _Ten minutes, that's all you have Bree_, I told myself. Keep it together.

I walked up to his bed and sat down next to his unnaturally still body. I wrapped my hands around his; they were so much colder than usual.

"Greg," I whispered; a lump was beginning to form in my throat, but I continued. "Greg, I don't know if you can hear me or not… But…"

But, what? What else could I say?

"...But, I love you… No matter what happens." Greg's heartbeat quickened slightly and then slowed. I laid my head down on his chest, taking in his human scent for the last time.

**A/N: Sorry that chapter was so short. I was going to make it longer but i thought it would be better so save the good stuff for the next two chapters. I planned on updating earlier today, but my computer was acting up so i had to do it now. And i dont know how well it's going to be acting these next few days so i'm not sure when the next update will be. Hopefully, monday. **

**Thanks so much to all the people who reviewed the last chapter. You guys rock my socks! **

**Hope you liked this chapter, even though it was kinda short. Big event happened at the end with a terrible cliffhanger, sorry about that :) But, what do you think will happen in the next chapter? Make sure to review and just like last time, i'll send you little spoiler for the next chapter! **


	10. Funeral

**Disclaimer: I do not own the twilight saga. All rights are reserved to . **

**Seth POV **

The somber tunes from the organ drifted through the church. I kept my eyes forward staring at the large picture of the green-eyed boy with black hair. Every so often a person would sniff or blow their nose into a tissue. Even though I was sitting here in this itchy suit, I was still in disbelief… I couldn't believe he was dead. Greg was actually _dead_.

But I'd seen him with my own eyes. He was lying there in that shiny black casket; his eyes closed peacefully, all the cuts and bruises made over with makeup, his hands crossed serenely over his stomach.

A guy with brownish-red hair, no older than Greg, walked up to the front of the church and placed his hands on the side of the casket. I could see him take a deep, ragged breath and close his eyes for a second to compose himself before speaking.

"I've known Greg since freshman year," he started. "I was the new kid from Michigan and he was the nice guy who offered me a seat at his lunch table. It was hard to believe that he actually wanted to be friends with me, but we had a gaming addiction in common and we both loved school tator tots. He was always doing something, always moving. He was always the first to get the girl. I guess they couldn't resist his green eyes…"

Everyone in the church started laughing at this small inside joke, but then the short-lived laughter turned to more tears. But this time, tears of joy. I heard someone sniff beside me and turned left to see Stella, wiping her eyes gently.

I wrapped my arm around her waist and her pulled her closer to me. "You okay," I whispered.

She nodded slowly. "I hate funerals. It's so sad… I know I hardly knew him... but I can't believe he's gone."

"I know." Stella laid her head down on my shoulder and turned her attention back to the guy talking. I turned around to my right where Bree was sitting calmly with her hands in her lap.

Bree hadn't spoken to me since the night she called and told me Greg was dead. Every time I tried to talk or make her feel better, she always seemed… spaced out, like she had her mind on something else. But I couldn't blame her. I would probably feel the exact same way if I ever lost Stella. But I knew it was more than just knowing that Greg was dead. Bree blamed herself for what happened to him.

Apparently, the two had an argument that night about something—Bree refused to tell me. Greg drove off to Port Angeles. They made up on the phone and just as Greg was driving back to Tacoma, he had a pretty bad accident involving a semi-truck. He'd been put on life support due to the fact that he was brain dead and then the doctor's finally decided to take him off.

Just like Stella said, _I can't believe he's gone_. I couldn't either. But death can come at any moment. One day, you see and talk to a person, and the next day, they're gone. It reminded me of the day my dad died. Everything had been fine, just a normal day in the Clearwater household. And then, it all changed in the blink of an eye.

The funeral was over a few moments later. People were dismissed by rows to see Greg one last time. Bree, Stella, and I were one of the last three after Greg's parents had left the church to get in their limo. The three of us stood there in front of the casket, staring down at Greg. After a few moments Bree and Stella walked off, leaving me the only person in the church besides the pallbearers standing in the corner silently.

The church was extremely quiet. I looked down at Greg in disbelief. He couldn't be dead. But, there was no way he was alive. He looked so still…

But then, I noticed something moving.

I cocked my head to the side to get a better look. I was sure I was seeing things, but I wasn't. Greg _moved_—his hand twitched. I leaned in closer to his body and I could see a small movement of his chest, like he was still breathing. It was such a tiny movement that a normal human eye couldn't have been able to see it. But I noticed it and he didn't move again.

I'd heard stories about the dead moving after their actual death. But that was usually just some kind of muscle spasm and it happened just a couple of hours after actual death—not three days. Maybe Bree changed him after all. But, if that was the case, then why in hell is he lying in a casket? It made no sense. I know I still didn't want to believe it, but he _had_ to be dead, the doctors pronounced it.

I continued to stand there, more confused than I'd been in a long time until one of the pallbearers cleared their throat. "It's time for us to close the casket and take it to the burial site," he said solemnly.

"Sorry," I replied and headed out of the church in search for Bree. I didn't see her so I assumed that she was riding with Greg's family on the way to the cemetery. I found Stella standing at the passenger side of my truck checking her face in a compact mirror.

"Ugh," she groaned. "I'm all blotchy. I look terrible."

I gave her slight smile. "I still think you look beautiful."

"Thanks," Stella replied quietly. "Are we going to the cemetery with everyone else?"

"Yeah, unless you want me to drive you home."

"No, I think we should. And then maybe we could spend some time with Bree and make sure she's okay. I hate to see her so depressed…"

We rode in silence behind the other cars to Forks Cemetery. I didn't tell Stella of what I thought was going on; I didn't want to scare her or anything.

I always found it odd the way people always stopped for a funeral procession. I never understood it as a kid, but when my dad died, my mom explained to me that was out of respect for the family and friends of the dead. And this time, it was no different. Although, the streets were a little empty; it seemed like all of Forks had attended Greg's funeral.

A few small droplets of rain fell down upon us when we arrived at the burial plot. Bree was standing beside Greg's mom and an older man with slightly graying hair and green eyes—I assumed this was Greg's dad. I noticed that Carlisle and Alice were also there, which increased my previous speculations that something was going on and I planned on finding out. Everyone watched in silence as the now closed casket holding Greg was lowered down into the earth. The minister made a short prayer and the final remarks. A dozen red roses were thrown down on top of the casket followed by the first few shovels of dirt. Everyone began to disperse and pull out their umbrellas as the slight drizzle of rain began to pick up.

"Are you ready to go," Stella asked intertwining her arm with mine.

"Yeah. I'll meet you at the truck," I replied, handing Stella my keys so she wouldn't have to wait in the rain. "I just need to talk to Bree real quick."

Stella nodded and headed off in the direction I had parked the car. I saw Carlisle and Alice whisper something short to Bree before walking off. Bree gave me a slight smile when I walked up to her.

"Hey, how are you," I asked.

"Good," Bree replied.

"So…um…I…"

Bree pursed her lips and sighed. "Spit it out, Seth."

I took a deep breath and stepped closer to Bree so that the few straglers wouldn't have a chance of hearing our conversation. "When I was in the church earlier and it was really quiet, I saw something…"

"Like what?"

"I saw Greg…_moving_. Like, his hand twitched and I could have sworn that I saw his chest moving up and down like he was breathing or something."

"And you're sure?"

"Yeah. I'm not crazy. I know what I saw," I replied, raising my voice to a louder whisper. "What's going on?"

Bree bit her lip in deep thought and fumbled with her fingers like she was nervous. "I wasn't sure if I should tell you now or later. I knew you'd find out sometime... But…"

"Tell me."

"I changed him," she finally said quickly. "It was the only thing I could do. He was dying and I couldn't do anything about it, but his heart was still beating and I had to try."

"But if you changed him then how is he lying in a casket," I asked.

"Carlisle says that he still thinks he's dead. He may even be able to hear us."

"I thought you said he was brain dead."

"He was. But Carlisle said that the venom healed it pretty well."

"So," I started. "If you changed him… then he's a… vampire right now?"

Bree nodded slowly. "More like in transformation right now."

I nodded slowly, taking in all the information. It wasn't surprising to me that Bree had taken the chance. Deep down, I'd already known. But, there was still something I couldn't understand. "If he's changing right now, then what's he doing six feet under," I questioned.

"That's the hard part," Bree whispered, taking another step closer to me. "I have to come back to the cemetery later tonight, dig it back up, and make sure it looks like nothing happened." Bree paused and looked around at the few remaining people standing beside the burial plot. She turned her attention back to me after a moment and stared up into my eyes with a pleading look. "Can you do something for me," she asked quietly.

"Anything," I answered, slightly unsure.

"I want you to be there."

"What do mean?"

"I want you to be here at the cemetery when he wakes up…"

"Why," I asked in disbelief.

"Listen, Seth. I know you and Greg weren't best friends but Carlisle said that in Greg's case it would be good for people to be there. It would help him remember things better… Please be there."

"Alright," I replied. "What time."

"Midnight."

**Bree POV **

I fumbled with the steering wheel as a never-ending rain pelted the windshield of my car. It had been raining since I left the funeral earlier and still hadn't stopped. I took deep, heavy breath; it was going to be a lot messier to dig up six feet of dirt when it's all mud.

But, I couldn't care less. It had been almost three whole days since the last time I'd seen Greg. I'd taken my last few moments with him lying still in a hospital bed to finally decide that I had to something about it. I wasn't going to let him die. Even though Carlisle had told me that inserting my venom into him would be either pointless or very dangerous because of the brain damage, I knew I had to take a chance.

As soon as the doctors had pulled the plug, I made my move. I'd walked down to the morgue and while his heart was still barely beating, I bit him, making sure to get to venom as close to his heart as possible without harm. I wasn't sure whether it would work or not, but Jasper and Carlisle had taken a look at him when his body was brought back to Forks. We'd all seen the transformation; all his cuts and bruises were healed, he actually responded with movement when Carlisle had spoken to him, Jasper could feel his pain from the change. Everything had gone well, until the mortician tried to embalm him. It had taken almost every fiber in my body to seduce and convince that ugly, smelly man that it was against the family's religion to embalm his body.

But it worked. And now three days later, it was time to see if everything was really worth it. I was still nervous about whether the venom had fully healed all the brain damage. Carlisle said there could still be some problems, but I sincerely hoped and prayed that all would be fine.

I glanced up to see Seth's navy blue truck pulling up next to mine. I quickly searched through the black duffle bag sitting in the passenger's seat, checking off all the necessary items for Greg—a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, shoes, and a few bags of blood Carlisle had snagged from the hospital. Carlisle said we may need the blood because he lost so much during the accident and easy access at first might be necessary. I hopped out of the car with two shovels and the duffle bag just as Seth walked over to me with Stella.

"Seth," I groaned. "Why did you bring Stella?"

"She wanted to come," he replied nonchalantly.

"She can't be here. We don't have time for accidents."

"Oh, sorry," Seth said. "I forgot that he's going to be _different_… Well, what am I supposed to do? Do you want me to leave?"

I considered that for a few seconds. But, I didn't really want him to leave me alone. I may not need a lot of his help, but I just wanted him there for support. "No," I replied. I looked at Stella, "_You_ have to stay in the car."

"What? Why," she complained.

"Because it's dangerous! When Greg wakes up he's not going to be the same as he was before. He's going to be like me—a vampire—"

"But you won't even know I'm there," Stella said, cutting me off. "I'll be so quiet that it'll be impossible to hear me."

"It's not about hearing you; it's about smelling you. The scent of your blood will tempt him… If anything happened to you, I'd blame myself."

"But Seth will protect me. I just want to be there for you. I want to help," she said, pouting. Stella's facial expression stirred up old, blurry memories from my human life. She'd always pulled out the puppy dog pout when she wanted something and it always worked. No one ever said no to that pout…

I sighed and turned my attention to Seth. "You'll protect her if anything bad happens," I asked.

"Of course," he replied. "She's my imprint. I would do anything to protect Stella."

"If anything happens to her…"

"I'll blame myself, too," Seth said, looking me straight in the eyes. I stared back as we conversed silently with our eyes. We felt the same way when it came to Stella; nothing could happen to her. We'd both go to desperate measures to make sure she was safe.

I nodded slowly. "Fine. But you have to keep a distance," I told Stella.

Stella nodded quickly.

I tossed Seth one of the shovels and we walked silently through the cemetery. I remembered the exact direction to area where Greg was buried. Seth started complaining about how it was too dark, so I stopped quickly and grabbed a flashlight out of the duffle bag and handed it to Stella. I didn't need it; I'd only packed it for Seth—for me, night was just as clear as day. We walked a little farther; the only sound between us was the wet ground squishing beneath our feet.

I stopped where a small piece of blue tarp covered the recently disturbed ground. Seth and I started digging while Stella sat on a nearby headstone shining the flashlight for Seth. It wasn't long until the head of our shovels hit the top of the casket with a loud clang. We both glanced at each other before Seth pulled himself out of the ground.

"How are you going to get it out," Seth called down to me.

"Move back," I replied. "I'll throw it."

As soon as Seth was out of the way, I tossed the casket up with ease. It landed with a heavy thud on the ground. I jumped up and landed beside the casket gracefully.

I took a deep breath and began unlatching the sides.

I couldn't believe that this was actually happening. Just a few days ago, Greg had been human and now he was going to be a vampire just like me. I was so excited and nervous at the same time; I could almost feel my dead heart beating out of my chest. I saw from the corner of my eye that Seth had wrapped a protective arm around Stella's shoulder. Her hand holding the flashlight was shaking slightly.

I finally lifted up the top. There he was, lying serenely with his hands clasped together over his stomach. He really did look dead but I could still hear his faint heart beat. It was changing, moving quicker every second until finally, there was one last heavy thump. The final heartbeat.

He was still for what seemed like forever, but I knew it was only a second. And then, his eyes opened.

**A/N: I'm sorry for giving you guys such a scare last chapter. I guess you guys have an idea about the next chapter though :) ****Thanks so much for all the reviews on the last chapter! There were lots of "OMG"s and capital letters; it was very entertaining. But i hope this chapter was a lot better than the last and didn't cause any sadness.**

**Make sure to review so i can send you another spoiler/sneak peek for the next chapter. (I love doing that and i hope all of you enjoy receiving them) It makes me sooooo happy to see that you guys are enjoying this so much. But it may take me a while to reply back this time because i'm a little slow in writing the next chapter and i keep changing a lot of stuff. **

**Also, i'm planning on giving Greg a special vampire ability but i have no idea what to give him. So, i would LOVE your input. If you have any ideas on what cool vampire gift i could give him, write in your review and i just might use it :) **


	11. Dead, Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the twilight saga. **

**A/N: This chapter takes place completely in Greg's POV and i decided to back up the timeline a little bit. It starts off when he was leaving Bree's apartment the night of the car accident because i'm sure you all want to know what happened... So enjoy**

**Another Author's Note will follow :) **

**Greg POV **

"I just need to go for a drive," I said, staring at Bree's hand pressed against the door. "I need to think about some things."

She stepped forward, closing in the small space between us. I kept my face turned away from hers; I didn't want to see the pain I was putting her in. "Please don't be mad at me," Bree whispered. I didn't say any kind of reply; I just wanted to leave… I just wanted to think. After a couple more seconds, she gave up. Bree sighed lightly—her shoulders slumping—and stepped away from the door.

The warm, summer air hit my face as I walked out of Bree's apartment and towards my car. I grabbed the car keys from my back pocket and hopped in. I hit the highway, not really sure of where I was heading. All I had in mind was just to drive and think.

I kept telling myself I wasn't mad… I wasn't mad. But, I was mad. Not at Bree, though. I wasn't even mad at Allison.

I was mad at myself. How had I been so stupid? From the time puberty starts, everybody tells you to "Be Careful." Pregnancy is one hundred percent preventable. But do all teens listen? Hell, no. Because we think we know it all and it won't happen to us. But it happened to me and I didn't even know it.

But I wasn't completely mad at myself. Somewhere in all the self criticism, I found I was mad at my dad. The anger came out of nowhere and I wasn't even sure why I was mad at him. Maybe it was the fact that the last time I'd seen him was… Hell, I can't even remember. Or maybe it was the fact that he's never been there for me. It just irritates me that he sends me checks piled with zeroes to make up for lost time. That's probably the worst part of our relationship—if you can even call it that. It's like he thinks he can pay me off or something.

A few years ago, probably around the time my parents got divorced, I decided I would never be like him if I ever had a kid. I would never tell the kid that I never cared about them. I would never try and give them money every month to make them feel better. I would always be there for them whenever they needed me; no matter what.

I don't want to be a dead beat dad for this baby… my baby. I want to be there. I want to meet him. I want to take care of him. I don't want him to have to live a whole life without knowing who the real father is. I'd always thought that maybe if I never knew my dad, it would make my life a whole lot easier. But now, I think what really matters is just having a father figure there. Someone to idolize from; someone to learn from; someone you can talk to; someone who understands you.

I'd been driving for about an hour and a half and decided that I needed something to drink to get my mind off things and calm down. So, I stopped at the nearest bar in Port Angeles called Blind Pete. It was a typical kind of bar right in the shady part of town, complete with a gang of bald-headed bikers decked out with tattoos, a guy sitting at the corner playing acoustic guitar for gas money, a group of potheads smoking the night away, and two drunk girls falling over a cocky old dude with a receding hair line. I stepped out of the car, the strong scent of clove cigarettes and alcohol drifting up my nose, and headed right inside.

I took a seat at the half-empty bar and waited for one of the bartenders to come up. A few moments later a pretty woman with brown hair and blue and black streaks walked over me. She was wearing a tight, red midriff t-shirt with name Danni printed in black on the front, exposing a snake tattoo on her side. Danni (I assume that's her real name) stared at me suspiciously for a moment before finally saying something.

"How old are you," she asked.

"Twenty-one," I replied quickly; maybe a little too quickly.

Danni narrowed her eyes. "Let me see an ID."

"I didn't bring it with me…"

"Mmm Hmm… What's your real age, kid?"

"Eighteen."

"That's what I thought," Danni said, grinning. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the bar. "I tell you what," she whispered; her breath smelt sweetly of peppermint. "We can pretend you're twenty-one tonight. Just between us, okay." I nodded. "So, what can I get you, babyface?"

"Um… a beer would be fine."

"Comin' right up," she replied cheerfully.

It only took a short moment for her to fill up a glass and set it in front of me. I took one sip and then another, hoping it would calm me down. It did, but also made me think even more about how mad I was. Danni had walked down the other end of the bar to pour a couple of glasses of scotch for some men. I kept my eyes focused on a picture of a skull and crossbones drawn into the bar when she walked back over to me.

"You look a little down in the dumps," she said. "I think you might need something a little stronger than a beer."

"Like what?"

Danni smiled widely and turned around to grab a tall black and silver bottle. She grabbed two small shot glasses and poured a clear liquid out from the bottle; it looked like vodka. She picked up the glass closest to her and threw it back quickly, not even flinching or squinting her eyes like it burned. I followed her lead, drinking the liquid from the shot glass without thinking. It burned terribly going down. I coughed, thinking I was going to have to spit it back up it was so nasty.

"Ugh," I groaned. "What the hell is that?"

"Vodka," Danni answered simply.

"That is _not_ vodka. I've had vodka before."

"Not Russian vodka apparently… It gets better the more you have."

"I don't think I should drink anymore of that. I do have to drive home," I replied.

"So, what's bothering you, sweetheart," Danni asked. "Whatever it is you can talk to me about it. I'm known for being a good listener."

She pulled up a stool from behind the bartender's area and set it across from me. I took a quick swig of beer and sighed deeply. "I just found out my ex-girlfriend has a baby," I finally said.

"Well, congratulations," Danni replied. "How far along is she?"

"She had the baby three months ago." Danni nodded her head in understanding and I continued, "Turns out, I'm the last one to know. Even my current girlfriend, Bree, knew before me. And now, she says that she doesn't even need me to take care of the baby. She doesn't want my help; she doesn't want me around."

"Well, lots of guys would be happy if their baby mamas said they didn't need them… So, what else is bothering you?"

"I _want_ to be there. I _want_ to help. I _want_ to be in this baby's life. It's just frustrating to know that she doesn't need or want me there. I don't want to be like my dad."

"Oh, I see," Danni said, tapping her chin with a manicured finger. "You want to know what I think you should do?"

I shrugged, "I guess."

"Leave it alone. If she doesn't want you there, she doesn't want you there. Listen to the girl. Maybe give her some time and talk to her about it at another time. Maybe you're just overreacting."

I took another drink of beer. Maybe Danni was right. Maybe I was thinking about it too much. I _was _overreacting. If Allison says she doesn't need me around, then why should I bother? Why should I be complaining about this? It's not my problem anymore.

I checked the time on my phone, seeing for the first time that Bree had called me four times; I'd been gone for almost three hours. "I should go," I said. "Thanks for listening."

"Oh, no problem," Danni said smiling. "It's a part of my job description."

I nodded and stood to leave, placing the money for my beer on the bar. A few sprinkles of rain were beginning to fall as I walked out of Blind Pete, promising myself for the second time in my life that I would never drink again. The guy sitting on the corner playing guitar was still there, so I tossed a twenty dollar bill in the can he was collecting money with.

"Thanks, dude," he said.

"No problem, man."

As soon as I was in my car I hit the highway, heading in the direction of Tacoma. I needed to apologize to Bree for the way I acted; I shouldn't have run out on her. My phone vibrated in my back pocket and I struggled to get it out as I kept my other hand on the steering wheel. "Hello," I said, not even bothering to glance at the screen to see who was calling.

"Greg… I'm so sorry," the beautiful voice on the other line said. It made me smile. She was just the person I wanted to talk to.

"Bree," I said, sighing. "Don't apologize. I'm sorry… I shouldn't have overreacted like I did. It was just a lot to take in."

"I know. Maybe I should have told you, though. I shouldn't have listened to Allison."

"No," I replied. "You were keeping a secret for her because she wanted you to. You did the right thing. Everything's fine."

"You're not mad me," she asked.

"Of, course not," I answered sincerely. "It doesn't matter, okay. I love you."

"I love you, too… Where are you?"

"Um… On the outskirts of Port Angeles. I'm on my way back there."

"Okay. Bye."

After Bree and I were done talking, I tried placing my phone in the nearest cup holder with my eyes still on the road, but I missed. The phone ended up falling on the floor of my car and sliding somewhere between the brake and accelerator.

"Dammit," I mumbled. I made sure the road ahead was clear before I bent down using one hand to search around for my phone while making sure my other hand was still holding the steering wheel tight. It wasn't an easy task and probably the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life. But I still couldn't reach the phone; I couldn't see. I bent down in the seat a little further, finally spotting the phone right under the brake pedal. That would have been a disaster I needed to use it.

I sat up quickly and placed the phone in my lap, noticing a sharp turn ahead on the highway. I turned as fast as possible. But it was too fast; I'd jerked the steering wheel too hard and I couldn't stop my car from sliding against the road. The rain made highway slick, causing my car to spin uncontrollably into the opposite lane. I saw the lights, but my brain didn't register that it was large truck coming towards my spinning car until it was too late.

The impact of the crash was so strong that my seatbelt snapped. I felt my body fly forward; my forehead hit the windshield brutally. My car flipped off the road, going airborne and sending me to the backseat. The car continued flipping until it landed with a crash in a wet, muddy ditch. Glass from the windows clashed everywhere as the back of my head hit something hard.

The car was finally still and everything was quiet. I couldn't move. I couldn't feel my legs, my arms, my feet. The only thing I could feel was the intense pain running through my head, making me dizzy; it was like the worst headache I've ever head. I felt something warm dripping down the side of my face. Blood.

I heard footsteps running towards me. I could barely see the silhouette of a man through my half-closed eyes. "Oh, man," he said. "Hey, can you hear me?" I wanted to respond but my mouth wouldn't move.

"Oh, shit," the truck-driver said. "Alright, I'm calling for some help, okay. Just stay awake, man." There was a short pause and then he continued speaking. I could tell he was panicked. "Hello. Yeah, we need help quick; there's been an accident... I don't know what happened. This guy's car was just spinning out of control and I couldn't stop my truck! I ran into him and he flipped into a ditch. Just come quick! He's not moving… Alright. Yeah."

"Help is on the way," the man said. "Just stay with me. Don't close your eyes."

I tried keeping my eyes open, like he said. But it was so hard. I felt so tired; so weak. I kept myself concentrated on other things to stay awake. The sound of the rain. Sirens in the distance. Tires screeching to a stop. Hastened footsteps. Voices.

"Alright sir, can you hear me," a new voice asked.

"We're gonna get you out carefully and put you on the stretcher."

"Stay with us."

"Keep your eyes open." The bright lights inside the ambulance helped. A man was holding my chin, shining a small flashlight into my eyes. My head was pulsating with pain from the back of my head to my forehead. As soon as he let go of my face, I could feel myself succumbing to a painful darkness; I couldn't stay awake much longer. I just wanted to sleep.

I could see a woman sitting on the other side of the stretcher I was lying on. She was holding my black wallet. She opened it and looked at my ID, showing it to the male paramedic. "Greg, we need you stay awake," he said. He took my wallet from the woman and began looking through it until he found a small paper. He flipped it around, showing me a recent picture of me and Bree; she was smiling as I kissed her cheek.

"Is this your girlfriend," he asked.

"Bree," I whispered. I could barely hear myself. The pain was getting worse, making it hard for me to keep my eyes open.

"Good, good… We're getting a response out of him."

"That's right," the female paramedic said. "Think of her. Your girlfriend. We need you to stay awake for her."

I kept my half-closed eyes on Bree's face. But soon, I felt my eyelids becoming heavier and I couldn't hold them open anymore. The voices of the paramedics faded as I finally let the darkness take over and I knew that could only mean one thing. I was dead.

~.~.~.~.~

Or at least, I thought I was dead. Something was… off. Weird. At some moments I could hear voices, familiar and unfamiliar. At other times I could feel. I could feel my legs and my arms, my hands and my feet, my fingers and my toes. I could even feel pain. A dull burning kind of pain. I could feel my body being moved, set on something hard, set on something soft. And that whole time I kept my eyes closed because I _knew_ I was dead.

At then, the oddest thing happened. I felt my heart beating out of my chest, so strong and so quick that I thought I was having a heart attack. But I knew that couldn't be the case. I was supposed to be dead. I never knew death was supposed to be so torturous. The heart flutters continued, faster and faster, until it my heart stopped. It just completely stopped.

There was silence all around. I didn't know what to do… except open my eyes.

And there she was, standing over me, looking down with the most gorgeous eyes I'd ever seen. So, this is heaven. Angels that always look like Bree. I should have opened my eyes a long time ago. But wait a second, heaven was supposed to be bright. So why was it night time?

I sat up quickly, very quickly—as soon as I thought about it, I was sitting up. I looked around and down, surveying my surroundings. Why was I wearing a suit? Why was I sitting in a casket? What happened?

I flinched when Bree's hand touched my shoulder. "Greg," she whispered. I immediately relaxed when I heard her say my name. "I know you're confused," Bree continued. "Do you remember anything that happened?" I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out; my mouth felt so dry, so I nodded instead. "Do you know what's going on now?"

I nodded again, though I was still unsure. If what I'm thinking is right, then that means I'm a vampire. It feels odd saying that in my head, but it explains the freakishly fast movements and the thirst. I climbed out of the casket, faster than I needed to and stood in front of Bree. We both stood there, looking at each other in a whole new way. Bree looked so different, but she was the same. Everything was just so much clearer than before.

Bree took a step towards me. "Do you remember who I am?"

I smiled and lifted my hand slowly to stroke her cheek. I tried to speak again, but nothing came out. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth for another attempt. "Of course," I whispered. "You're Bree. My angel. My everything. The reason I'm here. And I love you."

Bree smiled. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. When she smiled it was like my whole world lit up and all I can do is stare. I stepped closer to Bree, placing my hands on her face as she leaned in towards me. Our lips pressed together gently; her lips were soft and warm and fit perfectly with mine. Her delicate, little hands slid up my arms, grasping my shoulders tightly. My hands were down at her hips the second I thought of it. I pulled her closer to me as she deepened the kiss, tickling my bottom lip with her tongue. My hands were everywhere, grasping and groping her places I shouldn't. But, when you miss someone for so long, you just can't help it.

"Jesus," a deep voice from behind said, interrupting what I will definitely consider the best kiss I've ever had. I turned my head sharply towards where it came from. There was a tall, darkly tanned guy with short black hair standing at a distance with a disgusted—yet amused—expression on his face. I remembered him from somewhere. What was his name? I thought back hard to my past life; to a time I didn't really like to think about when there was no Bree. This guy had been there, bringing the comedic relief to my depression. Remember him. Remember…

"You two need to seriously calm down," he continued. "I didn't come here to watch vampire porn."

"Seth," I said, grinning.

"Well, it's good to see you remember me," Seth replied, grinning as well.

I nodded and then realized there was another person outside with us. I wondered how I hadn't heard or smelt her before. Who was she? I couldn't seem to remember her; something about her confused me. Maybe it was the way she looked so much like Bree. Her heartbeat quickened as she noticed I was paying close attention to her. Even in the dark I could see the delicate blush that rose to her cheeks. If I paid close attention, I could even hear the faint movement of blood through her veins. It was enough to make my throat burn with that terrible thirst. I felt my vision zoom in towards this girl.

Nothing around me mattered anymore. I could hear Bree trying to say something to me and I saw Seth move in front of the girl protectively. But that didn't matter; I knew I could take him down if I wanted to. The girl kept her blue eyes on mine. I could almost feel the fear radiating off her body. And she knew… she knew that I was the hunter and she was the prey.

It would be so easy, I imagined. Like in all the movies. I would take her small body in my arms; brush back her dark hair to expose her fragile neck…

All she had to do was just… _Come to me_

**A/N: I apologize for my author fail yesterday when i was sending out replies to review. I got confused and thought it was wednesday instead of thursday (It's been a stressful week). Sorry if that confused you. **

**I hope the ending of this chapter wasn't too confusing. I'll probably be able to clear up what Greg's doing to Stella in the next chapter. How do you guys feel about having something written in Stella's POV? I think it might be very interesting. Well, make sure to review and tell me what you thought of this chapter. It took me a while to write it. Hope it was worth it. Remember signed reviews get sneak peeks :) **

**And... I just got a blogger account and i've already started writing stuff on it, so if you have time, go check it out. You can read all the weird crap i like to talk about and just figure out what i'm up to. You can also check out a picture of this guy that i think looks alot like the greg i see in my head. The link is on my profile if you ever decide to visit (it's also my homepage). **

**So... press that review button because it makes me so so so so so so so happy! **


	12. In My Head

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for to update this chapter. I honestly didn't think this chapter was going to take me so long to write, but it did. I know i said i was going to update on friday, but my fingers just had other thoughts in mind and wanted to make this chapter over 4000 words long (wow!) So, hopefully this long chapter will make up for lost time. A lot is happening in this chapter, including a little POV from Stella but it's really short. I'll have more fo her to say in the future. **

**Just a heads up, my updates will be a little more spaced out in the future. School is definitely kicking my but right now and i'm also co-writing another story with EnyaCullen4Ever. I'm hoping for an update every week, but it may be every two weeks. But, i'll still have time to reply to your reviews and give spoilers. I know we all love that :) So, dont forget to review! If you have any questions, dont be afraid to ask. **

**Disclaimer: i still dont own the twilight saga. **

****WARNING** Bree and Greg are gonna get a little steamy in this chapter. reader discretion is advised :D **

**Stella POV **

His eyes, black as the night sky, stared straight into my soul. My whole body felt hot, my fingers felt tingly and, my legs felt like jelly. I knew my cheeks were red as crimson, but I hoped the darkness would cover it up. My heart was beating out my chest so loud I was sure it could be heard a mile away. Seth stood in front of me protectively but I could still see _him_. I could still see Greg. I could still see his eyes.

I couldn't move and I couldn't look away. It was like he was speaking to me, but I realized his mouth wasn't moving. I could hear him in my head.

_Come to me_, he whispered sweetly. And I wanted to. My whole body was under his control and I couldn't stop it.

"What's happening," Seth asked frantically. "What's he doing to her?" I could barely hear Seth; to me, it sounded as if he was standing in a tunnel.

My sister stood in front of him slightly, grasping Greg's shoulders with her hands. "Greg? Greg, what's wrong," she asked. "What are you doing?"

_Come to me_, Greg's voice said again in my head. My legs began moving, slowly at first towards him. But someone was holding me back. Seth stood directly in the path between Greg and I. He shook my shoulders to get my attention but I was too wrapped up in Greg's mental hold. I wanted to go to him so badly…

"Greg," Bree said again. "Stop it. Whatever you're doing, stop it!"

And then he blinked and shook his head, like he was shaking himself out of some day dream. His control was gone from body; his voice disappeared from my head. I felt weak and slightly lost. I couldn't keep my body upright and in seconds, I felt myself falling vertically towards the wet ground.

**Bree POV**

Seth caught Stella just in time. "She fainted," Seth whispered.

I turned my attention back on Greg who was standing there with a confused look on his face. All of us were confused, though. What had just happened? One minute, Greg's smiling at Seth as he remembered something useful. Then, a blank look crossed his face as he stared at Stella. He didn't say anything; he just stared like she was… his prey or something. I was afraid I'd need to attack Greg to keep him from hurting her. But neither Greg nor Stella made one move. She just stared back like she was under some sort of spell.

"What happened," Greg asked, staring at Stella; she was sitting in Seth's lap asleep.

"You don't remember," I asked.

"I remember. But, I don't understand it," he replied.

"What did you do to her?"

Greg shook his head solemnly. "I don't know… It was like I could… _talk_ to her from my mind. I couldn't control it. I don't know where it came from… I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You didn't attack her or anything—"

"No," Greg said, interrupting me. "But I thought about it. I got so thirsty. And I wanted her blood."

"This is all my fault," I groaned. I quickly grabbed the black duffle bag I'd packed earlier and gestured for Greg to take a seat on the ground. He sat with a confused look and I sat beside him. I found just what I wanted right at the bottom. I grabbed out the first bag of blood, courtesy of a hospital in Vancouver, and ripped it open.

"What's tha—" Greg started to ask but quickly cut himself off once he smelt what was inside. He immediately began to perk up and grabbed for the bag.

"Gross," I heard Seth mumble from behind me.

"Then don't watch," I said.

"Oh, I won't," he replied.

While Greg was drinking the first bag of blood, I ripped open the second. After a few minutes, Greg had drunk all four of the bags and was still asking for more. "Sorry," I said. "There's no more. But later, I'll have to try you out on animal blood."

Greg nodded. "When do we start?"

"Soon," I replied, turning my attention over to Stella and Seth. "Stay here for a minute, okay?" Greg nodded and I walked over to Seth. "How is she?"

"Fine, I guess," Seth replied. "What happened?"

"I think Greg has some kind of vampire gift, but I'm not sure what it is. I'm going to have to talk to Carlisle later."

"A gift, huh," Seth mumbled, stroking Stella hair. "I say it's mind control."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. But you should definitely talk to Carlisle."

By that time, Stella was beginning to stir and stretch in Seth's arms. She sighed heavily and opened her eyes just enough to see who was around and then closed them again. "You should probably take her home," I whispered. Seth nodded and stood up with Stella cradled in his arms. "Thanks for being here," I said.

"No problem," Seth replied. "Maybe I'll come visit the Cullen household tomorrow. See how Greg's doing."

"I'm sure he'd like that. See you tomorrow." I watched as Seth set Stella in the passenger seat of his truck; she was still asleep. He waved and drove off in the direction of Portland, leaving me and Greg alone in the cemetery. I walked back over to see Greg shoveling back the dirt Seth and I had dug up earlier. "You didn't have to do that alone," I said. In seconds, all the dirt from the previous pile was back into the ground and covered perfectly with the blue tarp like nothing had happened.

"Good job."

"Thanks," Greg replied smiling widely. He took off the formal suit coat and tossed it to the ground before rolling up the sleeves on his white button-down shirt. "So, what do we do now?"

"Are you ready to go hunting for the first time?"

"I think so."

I decided the easiest way to start off would be to drive to Canada first. The roads were empty so I easily made it from Forks to Vancouver in thirty minutes. I pulled into the empty Cullen driveway and we both walked into the house. I was hoping I'd be able to talk to Carlisle about Greg first before leaving for his first hunt but no one was home. A couple cardboard boxes were sitting on the kitchen table; a note addressed to Greg and I was taped onto the smallest one. It said:

_Sorry we're not there to meet you. We all decided to make a quick visit to the Denali clan. We'll be back in the afternoon. I should be able to assess how well Greg is adjusting to the change. Plus, Alice is leaving a few boxes of clothes for Greg, fresh from the catalogue. From, Carlisle._

"Alice sent you some clothes," I told Greg. He nodded while looking over my shoulder at the note. He began opening the first box, pulling out vintage band t-shirts and nodding his head in approval and grabbing out the many pairs of ripped jeans. "It looks like she knows what you like… If you want to go change you clothes before we leave, there's a bathroom down the hall." Greg nodded and picked out a Van Halen t-shirt and some jeans. He only took forty-five seconds and was back out in the hall, kissing me on the cheek.

We ran through the forest together, hand in hand. I chose the perfect place to stop where I could concentrate and hear everything around me. Greg turned to me with a confused look on his face.

"Why did we stop here," he asked.

"This is where you're going to start," I replied.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Close your eyes."

He looked at me oddly and sighed heavily before finally complying. I took a step closer to him, placing my hands on his chest and closing my eyes as well.

"What do you hear," I asked quietly.

"Nothing."

"Listen closer. And tell me what you hear."

Greg took a deep breath. "I hear… the leaves blowing in the wind… birds flying ahead… water… and… a heartbeat."

"Good," I replied smiling. "Now, what do you smell?"

"You smell really good," he answered.

"No. Something else… Concentrate."

"I'm not sure what it is," Greg said. "It smells… sweet but tangy… or metallic. It smells like… blood." Greg and I opened our eyes. "What do I do?"

"Let your instincts take over." I swiftly moved out of his path. Greg bounded off into the woods, dodging trees and other green plants. I followed close behind to watch—but not too close, I didn't want him to accidently turn on me and think I was going after his prey. He was surprisingly fast and I had to push myself to keep up with him. But once Greg spotted an elk lapping up water from a stream, I made my move and hid in a tree to keep a close eye on him.

When the elk noticed Greg's approach, it started to move away; but it wasn't fast enough. Greg grabbed it swiftly and tackled it to the ground. The struggles of the animal were immediately cut off once Greg bit into its neck. I waited until Greg was completely finished and then jumped down off the branch I was standing on.

"Ugh," Greg said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His shirt was slightly torn and jeans were stained with dirt, blood, and grass. "I can't believe I just did that."

"Don't worry. You'll get over it… Are you still thirsty?"

"Nope," he replied. "Well, not really. I think I can make it."

We decided to walk back to house at human speed to talk a little more. I hadn't spent much time with Greg as a couple since he woke up. We held hands and I asked him what he thought about being a vampire and he seemed pretty happy with it; he would grin or laugh and then stare at me like he was getting used to way I looked again. I could understand that though; I was doing the same. It seemed like everything that had happened in the past few days was just a dream or like we shouldn't be together at all. But I knew I could never survive without him ever again. I needed him and I could see in his eyes that he felt the exact same way.

A cool rain was beginning to fall, making the ground even muddier than before; but the scent and sound of the rain was calming. Everything was perfect. On our way home, Greg wanted to know about all the cool stuff vampires could do. He already knew about the fast running from previous experience. But he still didn't believe me when I told him vampire jumps could put Superman to shame. So I decided to give a little demonstration. I bent my knees and made a power leap all the way to the top of the tallest tree I could reach.

"Cool," Greg said, grinning like absolute fool—but a cute fool. "And I can do that too?"

"Yeah. Try it."

So he did; but he underestimated his ability and jumped too high but was still able to land with a graceful thud beside me. "That was awesome. I want to do it again."

This time, he decided to hop from tree to tree like a spider monkey. I couldn't suppress my giggles but I ended up doing the same thing. We began leaping between trees, scaring away all the birds, and grinning at each other like two idiotic teenagers in love. We got so wrapped up in hopping from tree to tree that we 'accidentally' jumped into each other. Our bodies slapped together with a loud thump and we spiraled down through the air. We landed in a pile of mud with me lying on top of him. Greg and I took one look at each other covered in mud, grass stains, and tree pieces and burst out laughing.

When our laughter finally died down to a reasonable chuckle or two, we sat together quietly. Greg began picking the twigs out of my damp hair, twirling it around his fingers.

"Greg?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think you could try that thing on me," I asked, not sure of how to phrase my question correctly.

"What thing," Greg replied chuckling.

"Earlier tonight when you were… um… controlling Stella… I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to try it out on me."

"Hell no," he answered, moving his hands away from my hair. "I don't even know how it happened. And I don't like the way it makes me feel."

"How does it make you feel?"

"I don't know… awkward. Like some evil guy who gets into people's heads and… I can't explain it. It just felt bad."

"Well, maybe you could just talk to me that way. Just once."

"You actually want to hear my voice inside your head," asked incredulously. "Why?"

"I don't know. It just sounds interesting," I replied. "And you know Carlisle is going to ask you to do the same thing to understand your gift. I'm just trying to learn more about it."

"No," Greg said.

"Just try."

"No."

"Please," I said, moving closer to him and trying out the famous pout that my sister had used on me earlier—let's see if this thing works. "Please," I said again. I widened my eyes a little to look as innocent as possible and stuck my bottom lip out just a tad. Greg turned his face away from me and began staring up at the early morning sky. I scooted even closer, practically sitting in his lap and using his weakness for me against him. "Please," I whispered. I could see the resolve in his eyes slipping slightly so I kissed him on the neck.

Greg sighed heavily and turned around to face me. He fingers stroked the side of my cheek. "God, you're so beautiful…," he murmured. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" I shrugged and kissed him openly on the lips. "Fine. I'll do it, but I'll warn you: I have no idea what I'm doing."

I nodded vigorously. "And don't ever do that pouty thing on me again," Greg continued, trying to look serious. "I already worship the ground you walk on; that wasn't necessary."

"I won't agree to that," I replied smirking.

I sat back and crossed my legs Indian style as Greg closed his eyes. He scrunched up his brows in heavy thought and frustration. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and I was instantly mesmerized. Greg's bright, crimson eyes captured my entre being; I couldn't move even if I wanted to. I found myself drowning in the intensity of those eyes. His mouth didn't move except I heard his hypnotic voice. Greg only said three words, and yet, I was caught in that moment. _I love you_, he said.

Greg blinked a couple times and his hold on me disappeared. I was slightly dizzy from all the love I felt when he said those three words. I quickly composed myself and blinked several times to clear my head. Greg smiled sheepishly like he wasn't sure if I heard him or not. After a few seconds of unbelievable silence, I found myself tackling Greg into the squishy ground beneath us. My entire body was enveloped in an immeasurable amount of desire. Our lips moved together roughly and desperately; I wanted to kiss him everywhere; I wanted Greg to know that I loved him too. Even though I didn't openly say it, I'm sure he understood by the way we were kissing.

Greg rolled us over and pushed me away slightly. "Wow," he said, sounding a little breathless. "I didn't think I would get _that_ reaction out of you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tackle you like that… I just… I love you."

Greg grinned. "I love you, too. So, I'm guessing I got through to you."

"Yeah," I replied. I took a deep calming breath and took my cell phone out from my pocket. I glanced at the time at then looked back at Greg. "We should be getting to the house soon. Everybody will be back home in a few hours and we're covered in dirt."

Greg laughed and looked down at his clothes. He stood up quickly and extended a hand towards me. We actually walked home this time instead of bouncing around on trees. It was almost five in the morning when we finally arrived back at the empty house. Greg carried both of his boxes up the stairs to my room while I followed close behind. We both grabbed some clothes and separated to take quick showers.

When I walked out of my bathroom wearing an oversized black t-shirt with an expensive Italian underwear set Alice had just recently bought, Greg was already lying on my bed. "I accidently broke something," he mumbled, staring up at the ceiling.

"What happened?"

"I kinda got in a hurry and broke the doorknob off the door."

I shrugged. "That's fine. In a house full of vampires, something is destined to get broken." I walked over to my dresser and sat down to comb through my slightly damp hair. Through my mirror, I could see Greg sitting up on the edge of my bed, watching me like I was the most exciting thing in the world. When I spun around, he was still staring at me.

"Get over here." At that moment, I wanted to run to him, faster than anyone could think possible. But, I knew it would be better if I savored the moment. It was better to make him wait until it was almost unbearable. I loved the way Greg looked at me and I wanted to keep it that way. So, I took my time walking closer each second, brushing my bare feet against the carpet. And Greg watched me, anticipating my every move. I was just a few more steps from Greg when he surprised me and grabbed the back of my thighs pulling me closer to him. I bent down and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

I pushed him back onto the bed and sat on top of him, placing my thighs on either side of his hips. Our kisses resembled the ones from before when we were in the forest. But this time, there was no spell. Our tongues danced together in unison as Greg's hands ghosted over my body. He began tugging at the hem of my shirt and I moved away, giving him just enough space to pull it off. I pressed myself into him as Greg growled and flipped us over.

I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist while my hands slid towards his head, where I entangled my fingers in his hair. Greg's lips were everywhere: my jaw, my collarbone, my shoulder, and the sensitive spot on my neck. I brought my hands away from his hair, ghosting them over his broad shoulders and toned back further down to the hem of his flannel pants. I unwrapped my legs from his waist and began removing his pants as far as my arms could reach, using my feet to push them down the rest of the way.

Even if my hands weren't shaking, I was still nervous. I knew that if I was human right now, my heart would be fluttering like a hummingbird's wings. _Were we really going to do this_? I kept thinking to myself that maybe I should stop, but I couldn't find the strength to. I loved him and I'd never wanted anything more in my life. His touch was like an addiction, I couldn't let go.

My cell phone vibrated on the dresser, but we both ignored it.

In a matter of seconds, I found myself straddling Greg under the sheets of my bed. His hands stroked my thighs and hips, moving to my back. Greg's nails dug into my back as I rocked my hips against him. He moved his hands to the hook my bra; I nodded, giving him permission to unclasp it. I sighed and pressed my chest against his, noticing that our breathing was the same—we inhaled and exhaled at the same time. Greg's fingers hooked under the edges of my panties; with just one flick of the wrist, he could have them ripped off in a second…

"Bree!"

We both stopped kissing each other immediately and turned to the sound of my name being called. Standing in the doorway with an annoyed expression on her face was Alice. How had I not heard or smelt her coming? Were we _that_ absorbed in each other?

"Alice," I screeched.

Greg and I separated hastily and covered ourselves with the minimal amount of fabric available. "Don't you knock," I yelled, putting plenty of aggravation in my voice.

"Not this time," she retorted. "I thought you knew! I just sent you a text saying we were coming back early. Carlisle wanted to check in on Greg."

Before I could say anything else to Alice, Greg spoke up. "We were a little… busy," he said, giving a slight smile.

"Yeah. Well, I can see that now." Alice sighed heavily. "Just get dressed. Carlisle needs to talk to both of you." Alice left the room, shaking her head in exasperation.

I pressed my forehead against Greg's broad shoulder and groaned in humiliation. "I can't believe that just happened," I mumbled. "That's so embarrassing."

Greg began chuckling and ran his hands through my hair. "It's not so bad. It was just Alice; could have been Carlisle." I groaned again. Greg tucked his fingers under my chin, lifting my face so I was looking him in the eyes. "Don't be embarrassed about it. I'm not. It's not like we were in the actual act of doing it," he said grinning like a dork—my dork. I sighed in frustration and laid down on my stomach.

"You're not making me feel any better," I muttered into the bed.

"I guess I should change that then," he whispered before gently moving the hair away from my back. He began kissing the backside of my neck, my shoulders, and down my spine.

"_Now_, you two," I heard Alice yell from outside the door.

After getting dressed in decent clothes, the two of us headed downstairs hand in hand. The entire family was waiting for us. Carlisle's friends from the Denali coven, Eleazar, Carmen, and Tanya, were also in attendance. Eleazar and Carmen welcomed me into a familiar and comfortable hug while Tanya stood to the side, giving me a slight smile.

"It's good to see you again, Bree," Carmen said and Eleazar nodded.

"You too," I replied.

"And this must be, Greg," Eleazar commented. He took one of Greg's hands suddenly into a firm grip and nodded. "He does have a gift."

"How about we go to the kitchen to discuss this," Carlisle said. "I'm interested in your transformation, Greg."

Greg, Eleazar, Carmen, and I followed Carlisle into the kitchen. We all took our seats around the table as Carlisle began asking questions. I remembered Carlisle had questioned me on a few different things about how I was changed and when; it was strictly informational. Carlisle had told me at the time that he was always interested in whether each person's transformation from human to vampire was exactly the same. But right now, I was worried about how well Greg was going to be able to answer Carlisle's questions. I wasn't sure how much he remembered from the change or whether he could recall anything at all.

"Greg, do you remember anything from the change," Carlisle asked. "Any pain or burning."

Greg nodded. "A little bit of burning."

Carlisle nodded approvingly. "Did you understand what was happening then at all?"

"No. I thought I was dead."

"What about when you woke up," Carlisle mentioned. "Did you feel disoriented, scared, defensive?"

"Um… mostly confused until I saw Bree and Seth…," Greg's words began to travel off and I was sure he was thinking about what happened between him and my sister.

"Anything else?"

This time I spoke up. "My younger sister was there," I started off. The previous murmurs from other conversations in the living room ended leaving an eerie silence. I could practically feel every vampire eye in the house burning holes in my skull. Carlisle looked at me disapprovingly but I continued. "I know she shouldn't have been there. But, Greg… did something…" I heard the collected gasp from the other room. Crap! They were probably thinking Greg attacked her.

"It wasn't as bad as you think," Greg said. "It wasn't something I could control at the time. I could talk to her with my mind. I didn't touch her, I swear."

I saw Eleazar nod knowingly from the corner of my eye. "Have you tried this on anyone else, Greg," Carlisle asked.

"Just Bree."

Carlisle turned his attention back to me. "And you were able to hear him?" I nodded and waited for him to ask another question. But, he was quiet and instead turned the conversation over to Eleazar.

"It's a type of hypnosis or mind control," Eleazar said, staring Greg in the eyes. "There's nothing to be ashamed of Greg. What you did was instinctual for your gift. You didn't know exactly what you were doing but it came naturally." He paused for a short moment, considering something thoroughly.

"I believe that your special type of mind control works particularly well with women," Eleazar continued.

"So, does that mean I'm some kind of vampire pimp or something?" Emmett burst out laughing, making the walls and windows shake followed by everyone else's laughter. Greg laughed as well but I could tell he was somewhat serious.

"No," Eleazar replied chuckling once most of the laughter had died down. "Your particular gift is usually a trait associated with an incubus."


	13. Faceoff

**A/N: Special thanks to all those who reviewed on the last chapter. I know Greg's little vamp ability is a little confusing but i'm hoping i'll be able to clear that up in the future. I've got the next few chapters planned out and i've got some exciting events in store fo you. So excited. But, like i said the last time i updated, the chapters will be coming out kind of slow because i'm also co-writing another fanfiction with EnyaCullen4Ever. The first chapter is already up on that story, so if you have time go and check it out. You can access it by going to my profile and clicking her penname under my fav authors. It's her first published story on the site so all comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.**

**I know this chapter is kinda boring but i promise it will get more exciting and a little crazy. trust me. you will not expect what's going to be happening in the upcoming chapters :) **

**So, make sure to review. All your reviews make me smile; it's the reason why i still write. And you know i'll reply back with a spoiler for the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: i do not own the twilight saga, as everyone should know by now. **

**Bree POV**

"Your particular gift is usually a trait associated with an incubus," Eleazar said.

"A what," Greg and I asked in unison. The other vampires in the living room were completely silent. They glanced occasionally at each other and it appeared to me that they already knew what an incubus was. And by the uneasiness flowing between the two rooms, it wasn't something really good. But I felt that way myself; even if I don't know what an incubus is, I don't like the word. It sounds like something bad.

"Well," Eleazar continued. "In many books and studies of vampires, an incubus is a demon that seduces women to…" Eleazar stopped short momentarily as he considered his next words carefully.

"To what," Greg asked.

The intense silence followed again and everyone in the living room seemed to look at each other nervously. It seemed like no one was brave enough to answer to question. I guess I was going to have to consult my laptop upstairs to get some answers. But, finally someone stepped up to the plate and to say I was surprised to see it was Tanya would be understatement. She walked into the kitchen and sat at the table with us right across from Greg.

"I'm pretty sure that what Eleazar is trying to tell you is that an incubus uses his powers to attract women. And then, he uses those women to have sex with them."

A human could have heard a pin drop in the silence afterwards. That's how quiet everyone was. Greg's eyes widened to the size of golf balls before he ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Is that what you think I am," he asked, panic and maybe a little bit of frustration apparent in his voice. I could feel Jasper working his mojo from the living room, pushing out wave after wave of calm in Greg's direction.

"Not exactly," Carlisle spoke up. "Only if you're feeling a sudden urge to have every woman in this house."

"No!"

"Good," Eleazar said. "Then you shouldn't have any problems with it. By using your mind control in a good dosage, you probably have the ability to just speak to others with your mind where only that person can hear you."

"I think I can already do that," Greg responded. "I spoke to Bree."

Eleazar and Carlisle turned their attention to me. "And what was your reaction to hearing him in your head," Carlisle asked.

"My reaction," I repeated dumbly.

"She kind of pounced on me," Greg answered, grinning at me; his hand squeezed mine gently. "I wasn't planning on that reaction from her. It just happened."

"What did you say to her," Eleazar asked.

"I told her I loved her. I guess I may have put a little too much emotion in it."

"Well it seems to me that you have a very useful gift, Greg," Eleazar commented. "With a good amount of practice, it may come in handy for many things. You probably have a slight ability of influencing one's choices. It's similar to another vampire named Garrett... You have a very gifted family, Carlisle." The two leaders of the coven began talking quietly for a few moments, giving Greg and me the time to slip away. For now, at least.

We walked into the living room so I could introduce Greg to the rest of the family. The only person he'd really ever talked to was Alice and of course, Rosalie and Emmett during our trip to Paris. Edward was the first to greet him with a friendly handshake and I told him that Edward could read his every thought. Next was Bella; she gave Greg a sisterly hug as I told him that she was a shield. Greg stiffened slightly at seeing Jasper and grabbed my wrist protectively.

"This is Jasper," I said. "He's family, too. And you don't have to be afraid him. His scars are the evidence of the great vampire he is today." Greg nodded slowly as Jasper gave him a salute. I knew it would take a longer time for Greg to get accustomed to Jasper; any newborn would be defensive from seeing all his scars.

Esme was the next to introduce herself. "It's wonderful to have you in the family, Greg," she said, smiling. She pulled Greg into a motherly hug.

Greg and I decided to sit out on the front porch and spend some alone time. We were sitting peacefully and staring up at the gray early afternoon sky when someone approached us from behind. We both turned our heads to see Emmett, smiling mischievously. He took a seat on a step below us and just stared.

"What Emmett?"

"It's good to finally have another brother in the family," he said, still smiling. Greg nodded, smiling back at Emmett with just as much enthusiasm. Emmett continued to sit there with an odd grin plastered on his face while Greg and I stared at him.

"Is there something else you want, Emmett," I asked.

His grin stretched from ear to ear and then he leaned in towards us. "Is it true that Alice walked in on you two?"

I groaned and Greg chuckled. "Yeah," he replied, returning the grin.

"She probably did it on purpose," Emmett continued. "Alice still thinks Bree's too young for a boyfriend. You should have seen how hysterical she was when she came downstairs and told Rosalie. It was hilarious."

"You know, if I was still human I would be like… twenty-two by now," I said.

Emmett started chuckling. "Sweet, you're dating an older woman, Greg."

I was about so open my mouth to say something else to Emmett, but I was cut off by the sound of an incoming truck. Without even looking up, I knew it was Seth. He pulled up quickly to the house and hopped out looking a little tired. Seth grinned at the three of us and sat down beside Emmett on the steps.

"Good morning," he said and yawned.

"What are you doing up this early," I asked. "Don't you usually sleep until two in the afternoon."

Seth nodded. "Yeah. But, I need your help with something."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Alright. So, last night after I dropped off Stella at her house, I started thinking about some stuff," Seth started. I felt Greg tense slightly at the mention of Stella's name and I wondered if he would ever get over what happened the night before. "Stella and I have never had an actual date before," he continued.

I had the sudden urge to laugh out loud. Seth's relationship with my sister sounded just like Greg and me. We'd never had the chance to go out for a real date up until a few weeks ago.

"So, what to you need my help with," I asked.

"Well, I was hoping maybe you could come up with some good date ideas."

"Take her to the movies," Emmett said. "Every girl likes to go to the movies. You just have to pick a movie she likes."

Seth shook his head. "We've already been to the movies. Five times. I want it to be something… I don't know… romantic." I saw Seth cringe slightly at the word 'romantic' like he was too man enough to say it aloud.

"How about a concert," Emmett asked.

"Again, Emmett. Seth said he wanted something romantic."

"What about a trip to Paris," Greg said.

"Seriously," Seth exclaimed. "Who takes their girlfriend on a trip to Paris for their first real date?"

Emmett started chuckling and pointed to Greg. "That guy over there." I turned my face to see Greg, grinning smugly and I couldn't stop myself from kissing him.

"Okay," Seth, said raising his voice. "Let's not go there. I need something affordable and romantic. I want to show Stella how much I care about her; how much I love her."

"Aww," I said. "It makes me so happy to know you truly care about Stella. But, I was thinking maybe you could give her a nice candlelight dinner. I know it's not very original but it is romantic. And I'm sure Esme could cook for you and we can set up a little restaurant thing in the backyard. You could have your date right here at the house."

Seth was silent for a moment and then he finally began nodding his head. "I like it."

"Yep. We can go buy candles, roses, and food. I'm sure Alice would love to decorate… And I can be your waitress."

"Wow, I'd love to see that," Seth mumbled.

"So you want to do that," I asked and he nodded. Seth and I began talking about all the plans we needed to make for his and Stella's date the following night. It was a lot to get done but I was just excited to be a part of the surprise. While Seth and I were discussing what types of food Esme could cook, Greg stood up and began heading back into the house. "Where are you going," I asked.

"Um… I need to go talk to Alice about some stuff," he replied, smiling like he knew some big secret. When he saw my reaction towards his answer, he grinned even wider and leaned down to kiss me on the forehead. "I'll see you in a little bit."

"The vampire pimp just needs to go discuss your privacy problem," Emmett blurted out chuckling.

Seth scrunched his brows together in confusion. "Vampire pimp," he said, looking to me for explanation. "Did I miss something?"

"Don't worry about it," I replied, staring Emmett down. He continued chuckling and followed Greg inside the house, leaving me outdoors with Seth—though I wanted to know why Greg wanted to speak with Alice. It must be something about me. I was going to have to convince Greg to tell me later or I could ask Jasper. But, I continued my conversation with my best friend. We decided that I would ask Esme to fix a special Italian dish for Seth and my sister and I would help Alice decorate the backyard for the two lovebirds.

A little while later, Seth left for a short visit to the grocery store. I walked back into the house, towards the living room. Everyone was sitting peacefully and normally, laughing and discussing anything from books to cars. Greg was smiling and talking with another vampire, but when I saw who the person was I froze.

Tanya was sitting close to Greg on the love seat—and when I say close, I mean almost in his lap. I'd never paid any attention to what she was wearing until now: a tight, low-cut, pink cashmere sweater and a denim very, _very _mini-skirt. Tanya placed her hand on Greg's shoulder, slightly sliding her fingers under the sleeve of his shirt. Greg said something I didn't notice and she laughed, patting his shoulder flirtatiously.

I took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen and pretended to be very interested in the ends of my hair. I heard Tanya laugh again as someone placed a hand lightly on my shoulder.

"Now, now, Darlin'," Jasper said, chuckling. "Don't get jealous."

"I'm not jealous," I replied.

Jasper continued chuckling. "Don't lie. You know I feel everythin' you feel."

I could feel Jasper pushing out a small dose of calm in my direction and I automatically felt a little better. Until Tanya laughed again. It was more like an I'm-talking-to-your-man cackle like she knew it bothered me. Maybe I was a slight bit jealous. Or maybe possessive. But, he can talk to other girls; I was overreacting. Tanya giggled, sliding a hand on Greg's knee.

What the hell was so funny?

"You know what, Darlin'," Jasper said once he noticed I was getting a little angry over Tanya's body language. I didn't answer him or tell him I wanted to hear his advice, but Jasper continued anyway. "You don't have to worry 'bout Tanya. The way Greg feels 'bout you is like nothin' I've ever felt. He loves you more than I can even tell you." Jasper stepped closer to me and lowered his voice. "Trust me on this, Puddin'. Greg would never go for blondie bimbo over there."

I giggled and glanced over to where Greg was still sitting beside Tanya. She began saying something to Greg, but his attention was on me. Once Greg noticed that I was looking back at him, he smiled widely and winked. _I love you_, he said, using his gift so that I was the only one who could hear him. Thankfully, he didn't put as much force into it as he had in the forest so I didn't feel the need to tackle him in front of the family. But, I could definitely feel the love. No worries there.

My attention towards Greg was interrupted shortly when Alice came dancing down the stairs. She walked over to Greg and motioned for him to follow her towards her room.

"What's that about," I asked, turning to Jasper for the answer.

He shrugged, eyes wide open.

"You're a terrible liar. You know that, right?"

"How 'bout you and I go play a game of chess," Jasper said, smirking.

"Tell me what they're up to," I said as we walked towards the chess set at the corner of the living room.

"Online shoppin'," Jasper replied simply.

"For what?"

"Greg wants a guitar."

"Oh."

Jasper and I played a few games of chess at vampire speed. I lost—of course—but Jasper commented and said I was getting better. During our fourth game, Tanya walked up and watched. "I play next," she said, winking at Jasper. Oddly, I ended up winning so Tanya was up against me. As Jasper walked off, he sent a small dose of amusement and arched his eyebrows. I knew it. He let me win. I watched Jasper walk up the stairs as I began placing the pieces back on the board for the next game. Tanya took a seat in front of me and we began.

I moved one of my pawns first and Tanya mimicked my move. "Greg's a great guy," she said. "He's so funny… and charming… and hot."

I was just about to make another move with one of my knights. When the word 'hot' came out her mouth, the head of piece I was holding crushed in my fingers.

"Oopsie," Tanya said giggling.

_Bitch_, I thought. _She did that purpose_.

The game went by quick. I knew I was going to win; she wasn't very good at it. But then, Tanya had to open her big ugly mouth. "You know it's a real shame," Tanya began.

"What are you talking about," I asked and paused the game for a moment.

"Oh," Tanya replied, surprised. "Did I say that out loud?"

I nodded.

"I was just thinking about you and Greg. Carlisle was saying that you two were mates… but I just don't see it. You're a great couple but maybe not true mates."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean," I asked, raising my voice slightly and ignoring the chess game in front of us.

"Nothing really. I mean, how does he really feel about you? He hasn't even proposed to you yet." Tanya leaned in closer to me, widening her eyes and lowering her voice to a level no one around us could hear. "And how far have you two really gone? In bed, I mean. To me, it doesn't seem very far."

I felt my mouth drop open. Did she seriously just go there? I replayed Tanya's words in my head. Oh, yeah. She did. I knew I shouldn't let Tanya's words get to me, but somehow, she had a way of getting underneath my skin. I know how Greg feels about me. Though, some part of me just wanted to tell her off so bad that I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"How dare you talk to me about my love life that way," I said loudly and not caring who in the room was looking. "Did you think through what you just said?" I didn't wait for her to answer and I noticed from the corner of my eye that the rest of the room had shut off their conversations and was paying attention to me.

"No, he hasn't proposed to me," I continued. "And I don't care about that. Marriage doesn't matter right now. Love does. I know Greg loves me… And don't you ever, _ever_ assume how far I've gone with him. That is none of your damn business! Not all of us are going to be like you, Tanya. I know your virginity was thrown out the window a long time ago so I understand if you feel jealous to know mine is still intact. But just know to stay away from me and stay away from Greg or I will rip your throat out."

At that moment, I didn't care how many mouths were hanging open at my choice of words. I just know that it felt good to say it. With a smile on my face, I glanced down at the chess board and moved one last piece before saying, "Check mate."

I stood up from the little game table and was prepared to take a walk through the forest to clear my mind. But then I saw Greg running down the stairs. He frantically grabbed me by the shoulders.

"What the hell happened? I heard you yelling. Who were you yelling at?"

"It doesn't matter," I replied, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and pulling him down to kiss me.

My anger for Tanya completely dissipated as a new emotion took center stage. I began grabbing fistfuls of Greg's hair, pulling him closer to me as he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist. The whole living room watched in silence as we kissed in a not very innocent way.

"Cover your eyes, kiddos," I heard Emmett say as he began chuckling.


	14. Fourteen Roses

**Disclaimer: SM owns. **

**A/N: Here's chapter 14 :) I got it written faster than i thought. Thank for all the reviews and also continuing to read. I love you guys so much. This whole chapter is written in Stella's POV and also: This is NOT based on The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. I thought i would say that again so i dont confuse you. When i began writing the prequel to this story, i gave Bree good parents and a sister and her parents are very important to this chapter and the chapter after this. Get ready for some crazy stuff coming up; get your box of tissues ready.**

**If you want to check out some pictures inspired from this chapter, you can check them out on my profile. **

**Note: "Buon Appetito" means "Enjoy your meal" in Italian. **

**Stella POV**

The dull morning light of another cloudy day peeked through my bedroom window as I stretched, yawned, and sat up in my bed. I rubbed my eyes slightly and reached for my cell phone. I found it underneath my pillow and I flipped it open. Well, my life was certainly boring today. No new calls. No new messages. I sighed and took an unneeded deep breath, noticing a delicious aroma lightly scenting the room.

Mmm; smells like pancakes.

I grabbed my phone and hopped out of bed. The smell of fresh maple syrup and butter intensified as I walked down the stairs. When I staggered in the kitchen, I spotted my mom standing over the stove, flipping over pancakes. My dad was sitting at the table, glancing through the Saturday morning newspaper.

"Morning mom," I announced giving her a hug.

"Good morning, Stella."

"Morning daddy," I said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Morning pumpkin," he replied. My dad has always called me pumpkin since the day I was born due to the fact I was born on Halloween night. I took a seat beside dad and started browsing through my contacts wondering if I should text Seth. He was probably asleep right now.

Mom sat a huge platter of pancakes in the middle of the kitchen table and dad placed the newspaper aside.

"Mom, since when do you cook breakfast?" My mom never made breakfast in the morning unless it was holiday. So obviously, I wanted to know what the occasion was. It was just Saturday—nothing special about that.

Mom shrugged and sat in front of my dad, who was smiling and already stuffing a huge syrup-smothered piece of pancake in his mouth. "Well, I thought that maybe I should cook for you today. It's your last Saturday morning before heading back to school on Monday."

I groaned. I had completely forgotten all about school. This past summer break had been crazy: I found out my sister was a vampire and that my new boyfriend is a werewolf. The topic of school had not passed through my mind at all.

"Do you have any plans for your last Saturday before the beginning of a new school year, pumpkin?"

"I don't know. Maybe." I hadn't talked to Seth in two days—since the night of the funeral. I had no idea what he was doing or whether he wanted to do something today. Usually on Saturdays, Seth and I would just sit and watch movies or go to the park.

The doorbell rang just as we were all finishing up the plate of pancakes. My heart skipped a beat, hoping the person at the door was Seth. "I'll get it," I said quickly and jumping up from the table.

"If it's that boy, tell him to come back later," my dad mumbled from the kitchen.

I wrenched open the door to see a guy wearing a white work uniform smiling at me. My smile automatically faded; this definitely isn't Seth. His hair was a surprising dark red, almost burgundy and he was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses although there wasn't a trace of sun in the sky. I glanced around his body and noticed the little white mini-van with the flowers decorated on it. He must be from the florist. "Uh… Hi," the guy said. "I have a package for Stella."

"That's me," I replied. The man in white grinned and handed me a long, rectangular, white box with a red bow tied onto it.

"This is for you," he said. "Have a _great _day."

"Thanks," I replied; I shut the door and tucked the white box under my arm as I walked back to the kitchen.

"What's in the box," my mom asked.

I shrugged and began untying the satin bow from the box. I gently lifted the top to reveal a beautiful set of red roses. I lifted the bouquet from the box and counted a dozen roses—the brightest red I'd ever seen. I lifted the set to my face and inhaled the lovely scent. They were real red roses. I traced my fingers over the petals, relishing in the velvety softness of each one.

"Oh, Stella," my mom gasped. "They're beautiful. Who are they from?"

I noticed a small red envelope lying at the bottom of the box. I sat the bouquet down on the table while my mom grabbed a vase from one of the cabinets, filling it with water. I opened the envelope and began to read it silently.

_Join me for a night you'll never forget. I'll pick you up at seven o' clock. Love Seth. _

"It's from Seth," I said as I placed my bouquet of gorgeous roses into the water filled vase. My mom sighed romantically while my dad grunted in frustration. My dad doesn't really like Seth but my mom thinks he's perfect for me and such a gentleman.

"Well, that was nice of him," my mom said beaming.

I nodded. "I guess that means I have plans for tonight."

"Good," my dad said. "So do me and your mother."

"Really?"

"Mmm Hmm," my mom answered. "He's taking me to go see 'Cats: The Musical' tonight."

I giggled and patted my dad on shoulder. "Have fun, dad. You're going to be watching a lot of guys with whiskers bouncing around in leotards and tails."

Dad frowned and made a disgusted face before standing up from the table, grabbing the sports section of the newspaper. "I need to go watch a football game."

Once my mom and I heard him click on the TV, she began starting up the dishwasher. I helped stack up the dirty dishes inside.

"What are you going to wear tonight," mom asked. "Do you want to go shopping?"

"No. I was thinking about wearing that black dress you bought the other day from Macy's." Mom nodded approvingly of my choice. She always liked what I wore. But, my dad on the other hand still can't seem to grasp that I'm girl. I think he always assumed I'd be his tomboy daughter—too bad for him, I like wearing skirts and dresses.

After all the dishes had been put away, my mom decided that she wanted to take a quick trip to the mall to buy a new outfit for her and dad's evening out. I grabbed my sketchbook and colored pencils before sitting down beside my dad on the couch.

Drawing has always been one of my favorite hobbies. I love expressing my feelings on paper through colorful objects. My sketchbook is like my diary, except without words. But just like a diary, only I can understand it, and only I can read it. Though, sometimes I do explain some of the pictures to dad.

My dad grabbed my sketchbook out my hands and began skimming through it. "You haven't let me look at any of your artwork lately, pumpkin," he said. He stopped at a plain black and white sketch of Seth I had drawn a couple weeks ago. I blushed when I noticed that I'd drawn Seth wearing only a pair of jeans—no shirt—and he was lying on my bed. My dad grunted and turned the page quickly.

The next drawing was of a wolf. "Where did you get the inspiration for this one?"

I shrugged. "A movie," I lied.

"That's really good, Stella."

"Thanks."

My dad flipped to the next page revealing a picture I'd forgotten about drawing. It was pair of black eyes staring hauntingly into my soul. Intricate black swirls were drawn around each eye, connecting it to its counterpart. My dad cocked his head to the side. "Wow, pumpkin. This is kind of scary," he commented. I nervously bit my thumb nail. "What's the story for this one?"

"Um… it's about a guy," I said shrugging.

"Seth?"

"No, somebody different. You don't know him." I hate keeping things from my dad. I feel like I'm living this whole other second life and I can't ever tell him about it. I've wanted to tell him and mom that Bree was alive—well, as alive a vampire can get—so much. Not a day goes by when I think about how different our lives would be if I was just able to speak up. But, Bree says it's dangerous for them to know; I'm not even supposed to know.

I just wish I could tell him about something. Maybe, Seth. But, how well would that go? Oh, hey dad. I'm dating a werewolf who's really what I consider my soul mate. Yeah, that would be an awesome conversation starter at dinner.

My dad finally shut the sketchbook and handed it back to me. I took out a black pencil and began tracing the outline of a dozen roses sitting in a vase. The whole drawing process only took about two hours and by that time I decided to go upstairs and polish my nails. I left the roses on the table, kissed my dad on the forehead, and walked up to my room.

I shut the door behind me and opened my sketchbook back to the picture of the eyes. I ripped the picture from the notebook and paced back and forth, holding the picture tightly in my hands. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him. I saw his black eyes, I felt myself falling into the deep darkness. Ever since that night, all I can do is think of Greg and wonder…

_No_, I told myself. _Don't think about him like that_. He's my sister's boyfriend.

But the way he had spoken to me that night. Only I could hear what he said; only I could feel what he felt. And at that moment, I felt that he wanted me. His voice was like a type of gravitational power, pulling me towards him. But, it was too much bear and I'd fainted only to wake up in my own bed feeling empty.

I stopped short and held the picture up to my face. What is wrong with me? I feel like I'm going crazy. I have to get rid of this picture once and for all, and stop thinking about Greg in ways I shouldn't. I crumpled the paper up into the smallest ball possible and threw it in the trash. I smiled, feeling good about myself. Now maybe I can finally get over that. I grabbed my iPod and collapsed on my bed, letting the time pass by.

By the time I made the decision to get out of bed for the second time today, it was four in the afternoon and I definitely needed to start getting ready for my date. After taking a very long shower, I decided to curl my hair because Seth loves when my hair is curly. I slipped on the black dress my mom bought for me and examined myself in the mirror. The dress was a perfect fit; tight but not too tight; sexy but not slutty.

While I was searching through my closet for the perfect shoes, my mom came in the room. "I have something for you. Turn around," she announced. I did as she asked, spinning around with my back facing her. Something small and cold touched my chest. I looked down to see a beautiful gold rose pendant hanging gracefully from black beads.

"Mom, this is so pretty," I whispered, holding the necklace gently in my hands.

"I picked it up today at the mall. It goes perfectly with your dress," she replied. "Oh, and these are yours too." Mom handed me a black box and I opened it quickly to see the prettiest pair of heels I had ever seen in my life. They were two-toned—black and gold—stiletto heels with a lace up front. And they looked expensive.

"Mom! How much did you pay for these things," I asked while pulling out the right shoe to put on my foot. Perfect fit.

"Not much. They were on sale… You look beautiful, Stella."

"Thank you, mom," I said, standing up and giving her a big hug. "Thank you for everything. I love it."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

Mom offered to stay in my room for a few moments while I waited for Seth to pick me up. It was about thirty minutes later when I heard a knock on the front door and my dad yelling upstairs that Seth was here. And he didn't sound too happy about it either. I slowly walked downstairs, paying attention so I wouldn't make some huge klutz move and fall. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Seth standing in the doorway looking hotter than ever. He was wearing a black button down shirt that fit him in all the right places and a dark-washed pair of jeans with sneakers.

He watched my every move as I took my time walking towards him, chanting to myself. _Don't trip. Don't trip_… Seth's eyes roamed appreciatively over my body from head to toe as I smiled at him. Dad frowned when he got a look at what I was wearing and looked over at mom as if to ask, '_Are you really going to let her out of the house looking like that? With him_?' My mom just stared back and smiled lovingly.

"You two have fun," my mom said, patting Seth on the shoulder.

"Have her home by ten."

"Dad," I groaned.

"Alright. Eleven."

I gave my mom and dad a quick peck on the cheek and headed out the door with Seth. His hand grasped mine gently. I loved the way his hands felt against my skin; warm and soft, yet rough in some places. He opened the passenger side door for me of a car I'd never recognized before. I glanced at Seth questioningly as if he could read my mind he smiled and answered, "This is your sister's car. She let me borrow it for our special night."

Seth shut the door as soon as I was situated and walked around the front of the car. For some reason, the way he'd said 'special night' had my stomach fluttering like a hummingbird's wings.

"Where are we going," I asked, as Seth started the car and drove off down the street.

"Away from Portland," he replied simply.

I wasn't sure what he meant by that but I was definitely excited. I couldn't wipe the silly grin off my face thinking of all the possibilities of our 'special night.' Seth had been driving for about an hour—flying through traffic like a bat out of hell—when he turned suddenly onto a private road. And on each side of the road were trees, trees, and more trees. Seth smiled knowingly and I wanted to ask him where we were but I stopped short. The private road curved into a driveway of an enormous and stylish white house, like something you would see in a magazine. Whoever lived here was obviously rich.

Seth stopped the car in front of the house and I noticed Bree was standing outside like she was expecting us. Seth opened the passenger side door for me and offered a hand to help me out of the car. Bree walked over to us and I noticed she was wearing a white button-down blouse and classy black slacks, similar to something a waitress would wear.

"Follow me," she said courteously.

Bree began walking towards the back of the house and we followed. "Seth, what are we doing here," I whispered. Seth placed an index finger up to his lips, motioning for me to be quiet.

When we reached the backyard, my body froze up. There was a huge white gazebo in the middle of the yard, decorated with strings of white lights and green vines. Inside the gazebo stood a round table set for two with red rose petals scattered along the wooden floor. My eyes started tearing up from the beauty; I was speechless. Seth guided me over into the gazebo, sliding out one of the chairs for me to sit in. Seth took a seat in front of me, beaming like he had just won the lottery.

"This is beautiful," I finally said. "Did you do this by yourself?"

"No. I had help from your sister."

When I looked up to tell Bree thank you, she wasn't there. I frowned but Seth told me that she was doing her job as a waitress which made me smile. We sat there at our table, holding hands, and smiling. I was in awe at how beautiful the backyard was; no one had ever done anything this special for me. I couldn't wait to tell mom once I got home; she'd be so happy and maybe dad could even learn to like Seth for once.

Bree walked outside from the back door, carrying a plate in each hand. She sat a plate in front of each of us. "Buon appetito," she said, smiling. "Call me when you're ready for dessert." After finishing the best spaghetti I had ever eaten in my life, Bree came outside to take our plates and returned shortly with the world's best cheesecake.

I felt like we'd talked and laughed for hours when Seth told me it was time to go home. I groaned but knew we needed enough time for Seth to drive back to Portland so dad wouldn't be mad. I hugged my sister as tightly as humanly possible before Seth lead me to the car. We arrived back home with ten minutes to spare until my curfew. I kicked off my heels and stretched over to kiss Seth on the cheek.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"You're welcome," he whispered back turning his face to mine. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Seth ran his silky smooth lips against mine. Before he had time to pull away, I grasped his face between my hands, keeping him to me. Seth's hands held my waist, gently tugging me towards him as we kissed steadily. I closed the distance between us and moved to straddle him in the little space there was on the driver's side. My foot hit the hit the horn causing Seth to chuckle into my neck. I placed my hands on Seth's shoulders as he kissed and sucked my neck; his scorching hot hands ghosting up and down the back of my thighs leaving a trail of fire.

Seth moved his lips to my ear. "You have three minutes until your curfew."

I groaned and moved away from lap to sit in the passenger side seat. "Do want to come inside and watch a movie," I asked. "I have to go back to school on Monday and I really want to spend more time with you."

"What about your mom and dad?"

"They'll be okay with it. Please," I replied, playfully pouting.

"Alright."

The front door was already unlocked when we walked up to the porch. I threw my shoes down on the opposite side of the room as Seth remained by the door, slightly tensed and frowning. "Something wrong," I asked, touching his arm gently.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. But it looked like he was trying to convince himself that nothing was wrong instead of me.

I shook it off though and began walking up the stairs calling for mom and dad. The car was sitting outside in the driveway so they were obviously home from the musical. I smiled, thinking of all the ways I could tease dad about the show and men jumping around in leotards. I could hear the television in my parent's bedroom; it sounded like some kind of sports channel. "Mom. Dad," I called. "I'm home. Seth is going to stay over for a little bit to watch a movie."

I stopped short once I reached the closed door of their bedroom. Lying on the floor in front of the door was a rose. I thought it was one of mine from the roses Seth had delivered earlier today, but when I bent to pick it up, I realized it was a white rose stained with red. Almost like it had been dipped in blood… Hanging on the rose was a little white tag with a messy handwritten note:

_Watch out. Your sister is next_.

I glanced around the hallway, having an odd sense that someone was watching me. Who on earth would leave message like this? I frowned and swept my fingers against the white rose petals. The red liquid was still wet… it really was blood. My eyes widened slightly and I opened my mouth to call Seth, but stopped myself, thinking this was some kind of prank from dad. But, why would he write something like that?

I slowly reached for the doorknob, noticing that my hand was trembling, and opened it…


	15. Intruder

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA NOR AM I AFFILIATED WITH ITS MAIN CHARACTERS. **

**A/N: Here's chapter 15 as I promised. Sorry about the cliffhanger from the last chapter. Just giving you a fair warning, this chapter is pretty bad (bad in a depressing way). I honestly didn't want to write this way, but it's important for upcoming events. Please dont be mad. I know you all want to know who the note came from, but you won't figure that out for a few more chapters. But, keep the guesses coming. This chapter has a little bit of the characterization in it, so maybe that will give you a hint. **

**Make sure to review, so I can get replies sent back. I hope everyone recieved their replies yesterday. I was having a pretty bad internet fail and I had to send some them twice. **

**Also, I know this may not concern many of you but I thought I put this on here anyway... I am currently putting one of my stories called "Forgiveness is Divine" up for adopton. You can learn more about the story on my profile page and if you're interested, contact me :) My story really needs a good home and loving author who will pay more attention to it. Spread the word, it would help A LOT. **

**So... Here we go... **

Chapter 15: Intruder

**Seth ****POV **

The door was already unlocked as we walked in Stella's house. I watched as Stella threw her shoes on the opposite side of room I while stood by the door, not moving. Something in the house had my senses on high alert but the problem was nowhere in sight. My whole body tensed as I lifted my face towards the ceiling, catching a scent I had never recognized in the house before.

Stella stood in front of me and placed her hand gently on my shoulder. "Something wrong?"

I shook my head. "No." But something was wrong; I just couldn't see it. I hadn't had this feeling of wrongness in years. So, maybe I was just overreacting. But, the house was too quiet; sure, I could hear the television on upstairs but I couldn't _hear_ her parents. No heartbeats. No respirations. No movement. Something about this caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.

Stella walked up the stairs, calling for her parents. They didn't answer. She told them I was staying over for a little longer to watch a movie, but still no answer. The second floor of the house was silent for a moment until I heard a sound that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

It was a scream—a scream filled with terror, disbelief, pain, and pure misery.

It was a scream coming from my imprint. My Stella.

My eyes widened and I reacted faster than I thought possible. I ran in the direction of the cry, skipping three stairs at a time, and turning the corner to her parent's room.

I stopped short in the doorway, my mouth hanging open in horror at the scene before me. There was blood everywhere—blood on the walls, blood on the chairs, blood on the bed, blood on the floor. I had never seen so much blood in my life. Stella's father was nailed to the wall farthest away from the door with cuts and bruises all over his body. His throat had been gouged open, blood dripping down from the wound, staining the carpet below. On the floor, next to the bed was Stella's mother, her legs were twisted at an odd angle while one of her arms had been almost pulled off completely. Her stomach had been horridly ripped open. Her eyes were open, staring at the ceiling in fear.

And there was Stella, bent next to her mother's lifeless body, screaming. I rushed over to Stella—my body shaking as I felt the need to shift into wolf form—and grabbed her up in my arms. I kept my arms tight around her body as she struggled and kicked against me, tears streaming down her face. But, her fighting stopped once she saw I was the one holding her, and she grabbed onto my shirt, sobbing. I wanted to comfort her right there and shed tears myself for the lives lost, but the protectiveness inside me came out to the surface.

Getting Stella out of the house was a main priority now. If there was any more danger in the house, I needed to get her away from it now. I lifted Stella into my arms, walked down the stairs, and out the door. I sat her down on the front step of the porch and grabbed the cell phone from my back pocket.

I called 911 first, trying hard to keep my calm as the lady on the other side asked stupid questions. Just send the damn police already. I dialed Bree, knowing that she should be one the first people I called.

"Hello," Bree answered after the third ring.

I swallowed thickly before replying. "Bree… something happened at your parent's house. You need to get over here now."

"What happened," Bree asked, panic in her voice.

I wanted to tell her what was wrong exactly but I couldn't find the courage to say the words aloud. It seemed like none of this was really happening; it couldn't be real. "Just get over here quick. It's an emergency."

Bree ended the call and I walked over to the still crying Stella. Her knees were bent up to her chest, her head hanging down. "They're dead… They're dead," she repeated. I leaned down in front of her, placing my hands on her shoulders. Stella looked up at me, tears falling freely from her eyes. It broke my heart to see her like this. I could see the pain and loss in her eyes; I felt that pain. All I want to do is make everything better, but I don't know if I can.

I grabbed Stella into my arms and she broke down again, sobs shaking her body. I can hear the sirens coming closer to the house.

"It's going to be alright. I'm going to make it all better," I said, rubbing her back. "I called Bree."

At the sound of her sister's name coming from my mouth, Stella cried even harder, louder. My heart lurched at the sound of so much sadness coming from her; tears began welling up in my eyes. Stella's breaths started coming in short gasps as she continued weeping.

I sat back from her and grabbed her face in my hands. "Look at me," I said.

She stared into my eyes, still gasping for air.

"Breathe, Stella. Take deep breaths."

She looked down at the ground, a small amount of tears continuing to fall from her saddened blue eyes. Stella clutched at her heaving chest, breathing deeply, but it was no use. She still couldn't catch her breath which scared me to death. I remembered a time when I was younger, my sister, Leah, had suffered from an anxiety attack. She was unable to catch her breath and wheezing. My dad had been there for Leah. He took her outside in the cold, placed her hands on his chest, and told her to concentrate on the method he was breathing.

I quickly grabbed Stella's balled up hands and pressed them against my chest, right over my lungs. She pressed her palms to my chest, a folded white paper falling to the ground from her fist. I slowly picked it up and stashed it in my pocket; if this was important to Stella in any way she would want it later.

"Stella, look at me," I said, managing to hold my calm. "Look at my eyes and concentrate on my breaths." Stella nodded, locking her blue eyes with mine. She took one ragged breath after another, keeping her eyes on me. After a few tortured seconds, her breathing finally slowed down.

By that time, the ambulances and police cars stopped in front of the house. Stella's eyes widened as she remembered the scene upstairs, but she kept her calm. We both stood up from the front porch as a deputy approached us. He asked a few questions and motioned for the other officers, paramedics, and the coroner to go inside the house.

Neighbors from the street walked out of their homes in pajamas to see the commotion. I moved Stella over to a tree in the front yard, keeping her away from nosy bystanders. I knew they were all just saddened by what happened at cared for Stella, but I could tell from her face that she didn't want to talk to anyone.

"What's happening," a voice from behind me asked. Without even turning around I knew who the person was. Took her long enough to get here.

As Stella turned around, she threw herself into her sister's arms and began sobbing profusely again. Stella tried to explain to Bree of what had happened, but no one could understand what she was saying.

"Seth, what happened," Bree asked again, fear radiating from her eyes.

"Your parents are dead," I choked out.

Bree's eyes widened as she shook her head in disbelief. She wrapped her arms gently around Stella and cried too, although no tears fell from her face. I sank down to the ground against the tree behind me as the two sisters mourned together. I texted Sam about the past events and he texted back saying that we would have to talk about it once I got home to La Push. The pack was in for a busy night. I remembered the note I had stashed in my back pocket and grabbed it out, noticing a messy note written. But it wasn't Stella's writing or even her parents: _Watch out. Your sister is next_.

I read the note over twice, trying to decide what sick person would do this. The murder of Stella's parents was no accident. Someone planned it out and that someone knows Bree… I remembered the scent inside the house from earlier. There was specific wrongness about that scent. I know that whoever did this is not human; a human couldn't do that much damage and leave without a hint of a bloody footprint, or handprint, or any kind of evidence. The only thing the killer left was the note.

My hands were shaking from anger. Why would someone want to do this? What would the they want with Bree? How do they even know Bree? It came to my mind that Bree must know whoever committed this crime if they know her.

I stood up from the ground and walked over to the two sisters, still wrapped up in each other's arms. "Bree, I think you should see this," I said, handing her the paper.

She stepped away from Stella and held the paper in her hands. Bree's eyes darted back and forth as she read the note over and over as if it was going change. I could tell she was confused but behind the confusion in her eyes was a definite anger. "Where did you get this," Bree asked.

"Stella found it. Whoever did this to her parents kn—"

"They're my parents too, Seth," she said, cutting me off.

"I'm sorry… But, whoever did this knows you. So you _must_ know them."

"No," Bree replied, shaking her head and pulling at her hair. "No. I don't know anyone who would do this."

"It's got to be a vampire. Somebody you have a grudge against or something."

"No," Bree moaned. "The only vampires I know are the Cullens, Greg, and the Denalis. You don't actually think any of them would do this kind of thing, do you?"

I shrugged. "People change, Bree."

"Well, what about your guys," Bree asked, her anger rising to the surface over my accusations. "Any of the pack members?"

"NO! We're protectors, not killers."

Bree shrugged and threw my words right back at me. "People change, Seth."

"I can't believe you would think of the guys like that."

"I can't believe _you_ would think of _my family _like that."

"Well, what about all those newborns from Seattle?"

"They're all dead!"

We cut our argument off short as a man in a business suit and trenchcoat walked up to us. Bree disappeared into the darkness, probably from anger or disappointment, as the man flipped out his badge like the cops on TV. He looked at both Stella and me, paying more attention to what Stella was wearing, particularly keeping his eyes on her breasts. I kept my calm, though I really wanted to slap him.

"I'm Detective Rogers. Homicide," he finally said. "I understand you two were the ones that discovered the bodies."

I nodded, though I hated the way he said 'bodies' like they're not even people anymore. Stella flinched and turned her face into my shoulder. "Do you really need to ask any more questions? I'm pretty sure another guy did that earlier."

"Yes. But, he's not the one investigating this murder. I just need to ask you a few more questions," Rogers replied, glancing at me. "You may be considered as a suspect."

"Me," I asked. "What?"

"This homicide was very brutal. Only a person with a lot of strength would be able to do something like that. And you are a pretty big guy…"

"Hold up. Is that the only thing you're working with right now? We don't have to answer your questions. Can't you see she's going through a hard time right now? We're leaving." I held Stella's hand and we walked to the car. "We'll keep in touch," Detective Rogers called.

Stella sat in the passenger side of the car, staring out the window, completely silent. Once in a while, I would hear her sniff and wipe her eyes, but she didn't say a word.

I knew the recent death of her parents was going to take a while for her to get over. When my dad had died, I felt like there was nothing out there for me anymore. But then, the changing began and I was finally a part of something. I was a part of the pack and they comforted me and Leah. But I know this going to take a lot more than some humor from Paul and Jared. Stella lost not one—but two—people on the same night. Stella's always telling me about how close she is to her parents since Bree turned. I want to make her feel better but I just don't know what to do.

I arrived in La Push at one in the morning. I pulled in front of my house to see everybody there: my mom, my sister, Sam, Jacob, and the rest of the wolf pack. When Stella jumped out the car, she automatically ran into the arms of my mom. Sue patted her back soothingly as she walked her inside the house. Jared shuffled up to me and patted my shoulder, shaking his head.

"Man, we came as soon as we heard," he said.

"How is she," Jacob asked, referring to Stella.

"I'm not sure. She didn't talk much on the way here. I think she's still in shock… It was terrible seeing her parents like that."

"You get any ideas on who might have done it," Sam asked.

"Has to be a vampire," I replied. "They left a note." I pulled the paper out from my pocket and handed it to Sam. He read it over twice and passed it off to Jacob. In just a few moments, everyone had gotten to read the note leftover by our culprit.

"I'm no CSI dude," Paul started off. "But whoever did this left their scent behind… But it's odd… like they're trying to mask it behind a human scent."

"I think you might be on to something, Paul," Sam said before turning to face me. "What did Bree say about this?"

"She doesn't have any idea about it either. So, what are we going to do about it, Sam?"

"We track him. We're going to have to start in Portland. We leave in thirty minutes."

We all nodded and split off in separate directions to change clothes or tell families. I walked in the house to see my mom in the kitchen filling a mug with milk. "Where's Stella," I asked.

"In your room," she answered, placing the mug in the microwave for a minute and adding a teaspoon of sugar. "Take this to her." I nodded, grasping the cup from mom. I recognized the drink mom had made; it was her special remedy for a mourning heart. She used to fix it every day after my dad died.

I opened the door to my room. Sitting on my bed was Stella in one of my old t-shirts from school. When she heard me coming in, she glanced up and smiled slightly. God, I hate seeing her like this—so broken, like nothing would ever cheer her up.

"Um… I hope you don't mind," she whispered. "Your mom said I could borrow one of your shirts."

"It's fine. It looks good on you," I replied, taking a seat beside her. "Mom told me to bring this up to you."

Stella took the cup shakily from my hands and sipped a little. "It's good. What is it?"

"Warm milk mixed with a little sugar. It's supposed to help you feel better…"

She drank a little more from the cup and sat it on my bedside table before shaking her head solemnly, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't think I'll ever feel better… I should have stayed with them." Her voice broke and I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her cheek.

"No, Stella. If you would have been there, you would be dead too."

"Who would do something like that? Why did it have to be my parents?"

"I wish I could answer that question," I replied, a sudden knot sticking in my throat. I swallowed thickly and gently turned her face towards mine. "But, I'm going to find who did this to your parents. And they're going to wish they never messed with you."

Before I had finished my sentence, Stella was shaking her head quickly in horror. "You can't. You saw my parents. I don't want to put you in danger."

"Stella, you're not putting me or the pack in danger. We live for this. It's the reason why our kind exists: to protect."

"But, every minute you're gone, I'll be wondering whether you're okay. I don't want anything to happen to you," she said panicking.

"You don't have to worry about me and the guys. I'll be fine; everything will be fine," I replied. "But if you want me to stay, I will."

I could see her considering my option for a short time. But, she quickly realized that it was right for me to go. "No," she whispered.

I tucked my hand under Stella's chin, her blue eyes still gleaming with unshed tears. "I'll still be here with you though. Maybe not physically, but right _here_," I said, pressing my other hand to her chest right over her heart.

Stella grinned slightly. "Seth... that's so corny."

"I know. But it's the truth. If you're ever lonely and I'm not here just remember that. I'm always going to be there for you, no matter what. I'm going to do everything in my power to protect you." Stella nodded and leaned in, kissing me softly on the cheek.

After changing into some werewolf-appropriate attire, I ran out the house and phased in a good unpopulated area. It was easy to find the rest of the guys; their thoughts were on full blast. Sam was already issuing orders. Collin, Brady, and Quil were to guard the La Push area, specifically my house. Just because our killer vamp had left a note referring to Bree didn't mean they wouldn't try going for Stella. Sam gave the run-down on the Cullens job. Bree had already told Carlisle of the events of the evening; Jasper and Emmett were currently running the perimeter of Canada, which was as far as we would run for the night.

As we ran to Portland, my thoughts continued shifting to the horrible scene of Stella's parents. And every time I remembered it, my anger just continued to build and build to the point I was pushing myself faster than anyone else. Jacob was usually the fastest, but when I wanted to, I could keep up with him. But tonight, he was struggling to keep up with me.

_Back down, Seth_. I heard Sam speaking to me through Alpha terms and I was forced to comply. My legs automatically slowed on their own accord. I really hated the Alpha stuff sometimes. Right now, I wasn't in the mood to listen to Sam's every order. Or Jacob's. These days, it was like having two Alpha's in one pack still leftover from the break a few years ago.

This was more or less my assignment. Chasing this killer was my priority. I owe this to Stella and her parents. Shouldn't I be on the inside of things or at least, flanking Jacob?

_I know you want to do more, Seth. But we need to keep formation_, Sam said again. His voice is really annoying when he's inside my head. The whole group started snickering. Crap, I always forget they can hear everything, including my whining.

_You know what I do when I'm feeling shitty_, Paul asked. I snorted and tried to ignore him but he continued anyway. And I definitely wasn't feeling 'shitty', as he puts it, I was just mad as hell. _I think of my woman. And in a not too appropriate way, either… if you know what I mean. _

Everyone groaned. Because, honestly, no one wants to watch all of Paul's sexual escapades on the way to Portland. I ended up thinking of Stella, hoping she was safe and asleep. Deep down, I knew she was okay. We had that connection; all imprints did. Sam had told us all that the imprinter could feel the emotions of the imprinted when paying attention. I concentrated on Stella and through that, I could sense her emotions. She was content, a little sleepy, and worried about me.

I was suddenly pulled away from my thoughts as our intruder's scent hit us all like a wrecking ball. We were about ten miles from Stella's house, running in the direction of the Canadian border. We followed the scent further north; it felt like we were almost on their tail. I took my chances and scanned the area around us.

_Up above, Sam_, I said, as I noticed our guy. He was bouncing from tree to tree right above our heads like a spider monkey. He was fast, almost faster than that Victoria chick the guys had chased a few years ago. And he was smart. He never stayed in the same direction and he never let us see his face. He was wearing a black jacket with the hood covering his hair along with a pair of jeans and converses.

We followed him all the way to Canada to an area of two cliffs separated by a wide river, very wide—too far of a jump for a wolf, but not for a vampire. He leaped across the area with ease and landed on the opposite like a graceful cat. I hate cats. For a second, our vamp let his guard down. He turned around swiftly to face us, showing his face for the first time. I knew I had never seen this guy in my life. He scanned the pack for a second before smiling directly at me. I growled and he laughed.

I wanted to jump across and rip him to shreds for the pain he was putting Stella in, but the edge was right at my feet. The vampire turned his attention to Sam and saluted before turning around and running.

We arrived back home at almost four in the morning. I went straight to the bathroom and took a quick shower. I walked slowly through the dark house towards my room. I could see Stella's silhouette stretched out on my bed. I grabbed a blanket and pillow before heading back out to the living room couch. I accidentally bumped into my dresser, causing a loud thump and a few things fell to the floor.

"Seth? Is that you?"

I turned around to see Stella sitting up and rubbing her eyes in confusion. "Yeah," I finally said.

She glanced at the blanket and pillow lying in my arms and frowned. "What are you doing?"

"I was going to go sleep on the couch. I didn't want to bother you."

"Seth, this is your bed," she replied, patting the area beside her. "Sleep in here."

I didn't bother arguing with her—mostly because I was so exhausted and didn't care where I was sleeping. I tossed the blanket across the room and laid down next to Stella. She snuggled up against my body, laying her head on my shoulder and draping one leg over one of mine and an arm over my chest. I wrapped one of my arms around her waist and within a matter of seconds, I was sleeping like a baby.

**Please Review. **


	16. Afterward

**Disclaimer: i own the lovely laptop i work on and the cutest boots ever from hot topic, but i do not own the twilight saga. all rights reserved to Stephenie Meyer :) **

**A/N: I know I said I would reply to reviews but I figured you would probably want an update instead (seeing as it took me _forever_ to write this and it's not even that long). Sorry about the long wait. The next update will come sooner since I'm out on fall break from school. yay! Anywho, here's the chapter; I know it's kinda boring. The next chapter is going to be boring too. I don't think we're quite ready for me to drop the bombs yet :) **

Chapter 16: Afterward

**Stella POV **

I was hot, so hot I could hardly breathe. It was a type of sweltering heat radiating from all around, causing my cheek to stick to the pillow. I stretched, noticing my pillow was moving steadily, up and down. I groggily opened my eyes and realized my pillow was not a pillow at all. My head was pressed on Seth's tan and toned bare chest right over his heart. Well, that explains the massive thumping I heard earlier. I smiled, thinking I could definitely adapt to waking up to _that_ every morning. But then, I remembered how I had arrived at Seth's house last night and my heart sank.

The sight of my parents was still etched in my brain. I was never going to forget the way they looked… I shook the image from my head and swallowed the lump in my throat.

Knowing that I probably wasn't going to sleep anymore, I decided to get out of bed for the day. I tried moving, but Seth's vice tight grip held me in place. I pried his hands away from my waist and scooted to the edge of the bed, glancing back at Seth. He was so cute asleep—ridiculously adorable. I bent down and kissed him on the cheek. Seth sighed and turned over, grabbing a pillow and snoring.

I stood up and tiptoed quietly to the door. The house was so quiet, I was afraid I was the only awake, but then I heard humming drifting in from the kitchen. I followed the lovely tune to find Sue, boiling a teapot of water.

"Good morning, Stella," she said smiling and walking over to wrap her arms around me. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," I replied, sadness still boiling in my heart.

"That's good. Do you want some tea?"

I nodded and watched as Sue flitted through the kitchen, humming and fixing up two cups of tea. She added a few drops of lemon juice to each cup and handed one to me. We sipped our tea in silence until Brady walked into the kitchen, yawning as loud as a bear.

"Morning, Aunt Sue," he said, patting her on the shoulder.

She took one look at him and frowned. "Brady, what have I told you about wearing those vulgar shirts in this house?"

Brady shrugged and shuffled over to the refrigerator, grabbing out a can of Monster energy drink. I glanced at his shirt for the first time and snorted. It said 'I Love Boobies' in huge capital letters. He gulped down the whole can and burped. "I don't see where it's vulgar," he replied.

"Yeah," Paul interrupted, walking into the kitchen. "It says boobies not tits."

I couldn't hold back my laughter anymore and I almost spit out the tea I had just drank. Sue shook her head in disappointment. "You boys have no home training," she mumbled. "You're going to make poor Stella choke on her tea."

"Sorry, Stella," Paul said, grinning. "Sorry, Sue."

A minute later, Seth walked into kitchen grumbling to himself about people being too loud in his house. I grinned, noticing he still wasn't wearing a shirt. Without officially speaking to anyone, he dragged his feet to the fridge and opened it, searching around for something. "Where's my last Monster at," he asked, with his back still facing us.

Brady's eyes got wide as he looked down at the can he was holding. He threw the bottle at Paul and Paul placed it on the table beside my cup of tea. "Stella took it," Brady exclaimed.

Seth glanced over his shoulder at me before turning back and grabbing a carton of orange juice, drinking it straight. After Seth finished, he walked and kissed me on the cheek, whispering that he loved me in my ear so I was the only one that heard. Brady made gagging noises while Paul acted like he was making out with his hand.

"What are you idiots doing here," Seth asked, staring at Paul and Brady.

"We're protecting dear, little Stella," Paul answered.

"And we were kind of hoping we could get some free breakfast," Brady replied, giving Sue puppy dog eyes and pouty lips.

"I guess I'll cook for everyone," Sue replied, sighing. "But you two are going to help." Paul and Brady groaned but agreed.

"You want to go for a walk," Seth asked, looking at me.

"Sure," I replied, knowing a little alone time with Seth would do me good. "But I don't have any clothes."

Seth grabbed my hand and towed me to a room other than his own. The walls were painted a pretty sky blue with yellow stars decorating the ceiling. A few of the dressers were dusty and the bed looked as if it hadn't been used in a while. "This is Leah's old room," Seth said, glancing at my confused face. He walked over to the closet and opened it up, searching through the clothes. He grabbed out a navy blue La Push High School t-shirt and a pair of flair jeans, handing them to me.

"I don't think I can fit your sister's clothes."

"I think you can," he said. "She is a little taller but I think you two are about the same size… I'll meet you outside."

I nodded and Seth left the room for me to change. I quickly changed into the shirt and jeans, surprised to know Seth was actually right. The jeans fit snugly though they were a little longer than I usually wore my own. I rummaged through Leah's closet and snatched a matching La Push High hoodie and some Nike's; Leah's shoes were a half size larger than mine but the only shoes I had were heels at the moment.

I was just about to leave Leah's room when I caught sight of a beautiful family photo sitting in a frame. I picked up the frame, looking at the smiling people on the picture. I automatically recognized the woman as Sue along with a younger Leah and Seth. I had never seen the man on the picture, but I knew from stories he was Seth's dad who had died a few years ago. I grinned; taking note of how happy they all looked.

The picture of Seth's family brought back memories of a family photo I remembered from a long time ago—back when Bree was still human. We had it taken it in November and planned on using it for all our Christmas cards. At the time the photo was taken, I was only six years old and Bree was eleven. She hated that picture with an ultimate passion. The week right before, she had gotten hit in the eye with a hockey puck during gym class and woke up with a black eye. I was missing my two front teeth and had a crappy bowl-shaped hair cut. But my parents loved that picture and opted on sending it out to the whole family all around the country.

I started laughing, remembering how pissed Bree had been when she found out mom and dad sent the picture to _everybody_. She didn't speak for mom and dad for days; Bree was always so moody. But that same picture always found its way out during the Christmas holiday. My mom absolutely loved that picture and so did I after a while. I couldn't get over how beautiful and happy mom and dad looked sitting behind us.

The tears fell silently and without warning from my eyes as I placed the picture back on Leah's dresser. I quickly wiped them away and walked out of the room, accidentally running into Seth's massive body on the way out. "I was wondering what was taking you so long," Seth said, holding me up by my waist.

"Um… I was just thinking."

"Oh. You okay," he asked, looking down my eyes.

"I'm fine," I whispered, bending my head to stare at carpet.

"Alright. Are you ready to go?"

I nodded and Seth took my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine. We walked silently through the quiet town, not saying anything. But the silence between us wasn't awkward; it was peaceful and much needed. We finally stopped at an old, abandoned playground surrounded by tall, mossy trees. I decided to take a seat on the bench and Seth sat beside me, draping an arm around my shoulder.

"How long does it take to get over it," I asked suddenly.

"Get over what?"

"Death. My parents' death, I mean."

Seth's hand stroked my shoulder gently. "You never really get over it. My dad died years ago and I still think about it a lot… It just takes time."

"What am I supposed to do now," I asked "I don't know what to do without my parents… I don't have a place to live, I don't have a family anymore…"

"Well, you know you can stay here as long as you want. I'm sure my mom would love that. She already thinks of you as a second daughter," Seth said.

"Would you love it if I stayed?"

"Of course I would," Seth replied, stroking my cheek.

I laid my head down on Seth's broad shoulder, gazing up at the sky as the sun disappeared behind the clouds and wondering if my parents were really in heaven. Would they be together? Would they look down on me, guide me? Wherever they were, I just hoped they were happy. The wind suddenly blew, circling Seth and I, whipping my hair around. I smiled, considering the wind as a sign.

When we arrived back at Seth's house a little while later, Emily and Sam were there. They both encircled me in a warm hug. "Breakfast is ready," Sue yelled in from the kitchen. It always amazing me how much the pack ate all the time. They were always the first to grab food, and the first to finish it up. I was surprised Sue cooked enough for all of them. But there was enough food and we all stood around the kitchen like one big family. I fixed up a plate for myself, and yet, I wasn't even hungry. Not to mention, Sue had made pancakes and all I could think about was yesterday's breakfast with my parents. If I knew it was going to be the last meal with them, I would have savored every moment.

~.~.~.~.~

In the following week after my parent's death, I had stayed with Seth and his mom. The police had given me the okay to actually enter my own house and gather some of my clothes and anything else I wanted. But, I just couldn't do it and instead Seth and Jared took the trip without me. I was thankful to finally have my sketchbook to clear my head and my own clothes for once. Each time I pulled out a shirt from home, I would bring it to my face and inhale deeply, remembering the scent of my mom's favorite detergent.

Bree and I spent a whole day together recalling our favorite memories of mom and dad. Seth was always pretty busy with werewolf duties. He would leave late at night with the guys and not come back until very early morning. I could tell it was hard on him, though he never complained. Oddly, there had been no sign of my parent's killer since the first night. It was like he had just left completely with no trace left behind.

And then, the hardest part came for me. Apparently, it was my "duty" to inform all my family members on my parent's death. Funeral arrangements were to be made and my aunt Ellie McHale from Alabama flew into town along with her demonic children. We finally agreed on a time, date, and place for the ceremony and decided we would have one joint funeral. I don't remember much from the funeral—maybe because I absolutely despise them or maybe I just wanted to numb it all out. I remember the tears falling freely from my eyes because there was no use in keeping them in anymore. I remember the hugging—so many hugs from people I knew and people I didn't know. Each person whispered the same thing, 'I'm so sorry for your losses' or 'They were such good people.'

I thought all the hard stuff was over… until the reading of the will. I wasn't even aware of my parents creating a will. I had pretty much planned out my next few years living with Seth. Sue offered to take me in and I could attend La Push High School. That is what I wanted. But everything changed when those fateful words were read, "According to the document, Stella will live with Elisenda McHale."

I froze in my seat, hoping this was all a dream. But Aunt Ellie patted my hand. "Well, Stella. Looks like you'll be coming to stay with me and the twins in Alabama."

My mouth hung open in horror, shock. Alabama? Before I could think rationally, I had already opened my mouth, yelling "No!"

Aunt Ellie cocked her head to the side, confused at my sudden outburst. "Stella, sit down. You're not thinking this through. It's for the best."

"No. I don't want to live in… Alabama," I retorted, though I could hardly say the state's name; it was like an abomination to me.

"It's your parent's wish," Aunt Ellie replied, taking my hand.

"I'm not leaving here. I can't."

"Sweetie, you're only sixteen. You can't stay on your own," Aunt Ellie said.

"I know that," I snapped. "I can live with the Seth Clearwater and his mom."

Aunt Ellie snorted, reminding me briefly of a pig. "Seth? Your boyfriend, Seth? You'll have your parents turning over in their graves over this. I don't believe that would be a suitable choice."

"Seth is a good guy and his mom is so much like my mom," I said. "They already treat me like family."

The man who read the will cleared his throat, getting my attention. "I am afraid that you cannot stay with Seth Clearwater. The person whom you will be living with has to be a biological family member and the only person we have in the will is Mrs. Elisenda McHale."

"But I can't leave here. I just can't," I whispered.

"I'm sorry," the man said.

My life was officially over. I was doomed to live in Alabama for the next two years. Alabama is thousands of miles away from my parents' graves… thousands of miles away from Seth. I couldn't leave, I just couldn't. But, there was nothing I could do about it. My parents' final wish is for me to live with a biological family member, more specifically, Aunt Ellie in freaking Alabama…

It was like a sudden light bulb sparked in my head and I wondered why I hadn't thought if it earlier. I didn't have to stay with Aunt Ellie. I did have a biological family member I could live with. The idea was just so perfect I wanted to do a 'yay me' dance. I just hoped they would allow it.

"I know who I can stay with," I announced, turning my attention to Aunt Ellie. She arched her eyebrow as if wondering who this person would be. "I can live with my sister."


	17. Déjà vu

**A/N: I am so so so so sorry for not updating sooner. I wish I had a good explanation, but i dont. Please forgive me. This is another short chapter, just building up to the exciting stuff. ****There's a little flashback in this chapter, you'll recognize it from the italics. ****The next chapter is already written and longer than this one and I WILL be updating on monday. At least that's my plan right now. Cross your fingers and hope everything works out. **

**Please review :) Only 3 more reviews left until I hit 100! yay! **

**Disclaimer: I own a cute little red riding hood costume but I do not own the twilight saga. (Happy Halloween BTW. Have a fun weekend) **

Chapter 17: Déjà vu

**Bree POV**

"Is everything ready," I asked Esme and Alice as I entered the guest room.

"Almost," Alice replied, giggling as she pressed buttons on key pad operating the huge walk-in closet.

I smiled, glancing around at the progress of the guest room, which was now being turned into Stella's new bedroom. I wanted everything to be perfect for my little sister. It amazed me how much she'd been through in the past few weeks, even in the past months. I knew the recent death of our parents was overwhelming to her and I worried over how well Stella was coping. But, in the recent week, I could see she was doing well and returning to her old self day by day. I had graciously thanked Seth and Sue for taking care of her during the time I was totally incapable of doing it myself.

I was a complete mess after my parents' death. Each minute the emotions changed, causing me to feel even worse than before. I was depressed, ashamed, angry, and even vengeful. There were many minutes, hours, days and nights when Greg was the only one who could bring out my deep despair. I hated myself for not being there for Stella when she needed me most. I constantly blamed myself for my parents' death and I wondered if Stella did also. After the discovery of the note and the description of the culprit were given, I tried desperately to figure out who this guy was. My internal struggle was never-ending, causing me more problems as the days dragged on.

But, after a few days, Alice shook me out of it. Literally. Her strong, little hands had grasped my shoulders like they were the last two Marc Jacobs handbags on earth. She shook me and I practically felt my brain rattle that day along with the many bangles on her tiny wrists. Poor Greg looked like he could have snapped Alice's neck if he didn't like her so much. Honestly, a slap across the face probably would have worked just the same; though she got the job done as she yelled at me in her tinkling, soprano voice…

'_You need to stop moping and get off your butt,' Alice yelled in my face, making me stare into her golden eyes. _

'_Alice, can't you understand what she's just gone through. Her parents were just killed,' Greg butted in, grabbing one of Alice's dainty wrists. _

_Alice shrugged out of his grip, staring daggers. 'Not now, Gregory. Just hush. I know what I'm doing.' I noticed Greg had flinched when Alice used his real name; he hated the name Gregory for some odd reason. I actually think it's kind of… cute. But Alice continued, ignoring Greg's newfound annoyance. 'Bree, your sister is going to need you. I know it hurts from losing your parents, but right now you're going to need to be there for Stella, or she'll end up leaving you too.' _

_I wondered what Alice had meant by Stella leaving me. Would she die too? Could Alice see that? But, I knew Alice meant Stella was going to live with Aunt Elisenda McHale in Alabama if I didn't step up_…

"So, how does it look," Esme asked, pulling me away from my previous thoughts.

"It looks amazing," I replied, smiling. "You did a great job, Esme."

Alice squealed like a happy school girl from inside the closet and peeked out grinning widely at me. She didn't speak at all, just grinned and winked, before heading back inside. I heard her tidying up a few items inside Stella's new closet and wondered whether the outburst dealt with my compliment or something else… Knowing Alice, it was most likely something she had recently _seen_.

I shrugged off Alice's weird actions and began walking through the newly decorated bedroom. The walls were painted a shimmery princess pink. An elaborate chandelier hung from the ceiling. On the right side of the room sat a huge canopy bed furnished with matching pink and white sheets, blankets, pillows, and a comforter. An antique white wood dresser stood next the bed; hair and beauty supplies were located on top. On the left side of the room was everything an aspiring artist could ever want. Esme had purchased an artist's easel along with paints, charcoals, pencils, pastels, fresh paper, and a new sketchbook.

An extra door in the room, decorated with a large cursive 'S' lead to Alice's little invention: the closet. It was more like another guest room than a closet. Alice had ordered clothes in from all around the world and from any designer she could find. I was worried about Alice buying up a load of clothes that Stella would never want to wear, but the clothes she had picked out were actually nice. I even think Alice is starting to keep in mind the styles of others.

As I straightened out a few of the very odd paintings from wll-known artists, a knock was heard on the bedroom door. I already knew who it was from the slightly louder footsteps than the other of the family. "What is it Emmett," I asked.

Emmett gave me goofy smile. "Greg wants to talk to you."

Alice flew out from the closet, grinning wide and clapping giddily. She placed her hands on my shoulders and began pushing me towards the bedroom door. "Alice, I think I can walk myself," I said annoyed. "You have been extra-specially cheerful today. What's going on?"

"Nothing," she exclaimed, appearing as though she could hardly contain herself. I narrowed my eyes. "Nothing at all… Now, hurry up. Greg's waiting for you." She continued to push me out the door, humming a familiar tune, although I wasn't completely sure I knew it well.

Emmett walked with me down the hallway towards me bedroom. "What's going on, Emmett," I asked.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," he replied, repeating Alice's same words. What kind of game is this? Emmett is terrible at keeping secrets and I _know_ there is one.

Emmett opened the door of my bedroom and motioned for me to enter first. Greg was pacing quickly back and forth in front of my bed; he was almost a blur. Greg stopped once he realized I was standing in the room, and smiled charmingly.

"What did you want to talk about," I asked, walking towards him.

Greg took my hands firmly between his while gazing into my eyes. I narrowed my eyes, wondering what this was all about. Greg chuckled, taking my odd look into account. He reached a hand towards my face, twirling a lock of my hair around his finger.

"Greg, seriously. I think you're freaking her out," Emmett spoke up from behind me.

"Shut up, Em. I got this."

"Doesn't look like you got it," Emmett mumbled.

"Honestly, what's going on," I asked Greg.

"I know this probably isn't the best time to bring this up," Greg started. "But, it's better now than never…" I opened my mouth to protest again but I stopped myself from saying anything as Greg bent down to the floor on one knee. My eyes widened and my mouth opened in complete astonishment. "I've never loved anyone as much as I love you. Will you marry me?"

I nodded enthusiastically without a second thought. Greg outstretched his hand as Emmett laid a red velvet box inside his palm. He opened the small box to reveal a tiny and absolutely perfect ring just before he slid it on my ring finger. As Greg stood up to face me, I didn't hesitate to wrap my arms tightly around his neck, pulling him close for a sweet kiss.

He pulled away gently, pressing his lips to my hand. Our calm and loving moment was interrupted by the squealing of itty-bitty Alice hopping up and down near me. She pulled me away from Greg's comforting arms—which I was not happy about—and grasped my left hand, twisting it all directions. The two small pearls with diamond accents glittered in the light.

Alice giggled. "Aww. It's even more beautiful than the way I saw it… You did a good job, Greg." She squealed again, louder than the time before, causing Esme and Rosalie to enter my room with confused faces.

"What is going on in here, Alice," Rosalie demanded staring at her with arched brows.

"Bree is engaged! Our little baby is getting married!" Alice jerked my hand up towards Rosalie's face, making her to look at my ring. I felt like a puppet in Alice's tiny hands while I cringed at her words, _our little baby_. Come on, I'm not that young.

Rose's expression softened at the sight of the ring while Esme gasped, pulling me in for a tight hug. She kissed me lightly on the cheek, whispering, "Congratulations." Alice began babbling on about the wedding plans, though I wasn't paying much attention.

I found myself staring into space, thinking… wondering… remembering. I was getting married. I was engaged… _again_. I strained to keep myself from thinking about my last relationship. It all seemed so long ago and still so vivid in my memory. My engagement with Adam hadn't lasted very long at all—just a few weeks maybe. I always wondered what my life would be like if Adam was still alive—if he hadn't been killed with the rest of the newborn army by the Cullens. And at the time of his death, I wondered what my life would become in the future. I never thought I would get engaged a second time, at least not for another fifty years. Yet, here I am, engaged with Greg.

Is my own history and past repeating itself? Would everything be okay between Greg and I?

I suddenly felt someone shaking my shoulder. "Bree… Bree," a tinkling voice repeated, sounding aggravated. I shook myself from my own thoughts, blinking repeatedly and tearing my eyes away from the wall.

"What," I said absentmindedly.

"Were you listening to anything I just said," Alice asked. I shook my head sheepishly, noticing all eyes in the room were staring at me. What had I just missed? Alice sighed exasperatedly. "Forget it. We can talk about it later… Your sister is on her way."

"Oh."

"You really need to pay attention, Bree," Alice insisted. "There are very important issues that need to be discussed."

"Okay."

"Now, hurry up and get downstairs. Stella will arrive in…" Alice paused for a moment, her eyes fading off. "Thirty seconds."

"Okay."

Alice departed from the room along with everyone else, except for Greg. He stood before me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Are you alright," he asked in concern.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine," I replied, though I wasn't sure I meant it.


	18. The Start of Something New

**A/N: Hope you're not getting tired of Stella, this chapter is in her POV and so is the next. She's very important to the story right now. **

**Disclaimer: i do not own the twilight saga. **

**Please review. All signed reviews are getting sneak peeks for the next chapter. I should have the next update coming up soon since chapter 19 is halfway finished :) **

Chapter 18: The Start of Something New

**Stella POV**

I awoke to the sound of my alarm going off beside my head. I groaned and turned over, fumbling for the stupid thing with my eyes shut. I finally reached the alarm and managed to turn off the insistent ringing, though my ears felt like they were throbbing from the noise. I sat up looking around at my new room. From the art corner to the queen-sized closet, it was all expensive beyond my taste, yet totally beautiful. I still couldn't believe it was all mine. And yes, the room does have a princess feel to it, but I love that.

I stepped out my very comfortable, memory foam bed, and shuffled over to the window, pulling the white lace curtains aside. It was so early; the sun wasn't even out. But through the darkness and past the foggy morning clouds, the mountains remained visible. I closed the curtains, deciding that was enough scenery for the morning, and headed to the bathroom that connected both mine and Bree's bedrooms.

I opened the door with ease, stopped in my tracks, and screamed due to the sight before me. I slammed the bathroom door and turned quickly around, only to run smack-dab into my sister's brick body.

Bree grabbed my arms to keep me from falling backwards. "What happened? What's wrong," she asked; her eyes full of panic. I began sputtering like an idiot, pointing at the bathroom door and trying desperately to form complete sentences. "Calm down. Calm down. Just tell me."

I looked down at my fingers in embarrassment and took a deep breath. "I-I opened the door to the b-bathroom and… I-I saw… your… boyfriend…with _nothing on_. I-I saw _everything_."

"Oh," Bree replied before she started giggling. I felt the heat spread through to my cheeks from pure mortification. And then, I heard the loud laughing from the bathroom and I'm sure my cheeks turned a nice beet red color.

"Okay, that shouldn't be funny," Bree mumbled, composing herself. "Greg, stop laughing. You've probably scarred Stella for life," she called to the bathroom.

"I-I swear I-I d-didn't know he was in there."

"It's fine, Stella," Bree replied, smoothing my hair. "Just don't ever do it on purpose or I'll have to throw you out the window." My eyes widened in fear and Bree began giggling again. "That was just a joke… I'll go tell Greg to get out of the bathroom, okay?"

"Okay," I muttered. A few seconds passed when Bree returned, assuring me the bathroom was safe. When I entered the bathroom, I made certain I locked both the doors. I wasn't taking any chances. Though I knew if any vampire wanted to enter so badly, they obviously had the strength to rip the door of its hinges. I took a quick, calming shower, contemplating the day ahead. New city. New home. New school. New people. It was a recipe for disaster. I absolutely hated starting something new when I had no idea what I was doing; but at least this time I would have my sister.

The past few days I had spent adjusting to the new lifestyle of 'The Cullens'—as well as learning the story I was supposed to agree upon. _We have to keep up appearances_, Bree had quoted. It was a little weird living in a house full of vampires, but I took my time learning the names and meeting everyone in person.

I finished up in the bathroom and prepared myself to find an outfit from my closet of epic proportions. But, I was surprised to find something already laid on my bed. I dressed in the violet sweater dress, black lace tights, three-strap leather boots with matching jacket, and headed downstairs.

"Oh! There you are, Stella," Esme called. "I made you breakfast." I took a seat at the kitchen table as Esme sat a plate in front of me. "Breakfast omelet and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice." Wow. The woman never fails to surprise me. She cooks just for me everyday—breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

"Thank you," I replied graciously.

"Of course, sweetie. You can't possibly attend school on an empty stomach."

"She's right." I turned around quickly with a mouth full to see Carlisle walking into the kitchen. "It's the most important meal of the day," he continued, giving me a warm smile and kissing Esme tenderly on the cheek. "I must be getting to the hospital early; first day on the job. Have a good day, Stella."

"Thank you, Carlisle."

I had just finished eating and Esme was tidying up the kitchen when the two lovebirds came down the stairs, giggling and holding hands. At least Greg was wearing clothes now, though I had a feeling that moment wouldn't be lived down easily.

"Good morning, Esme," he said cheerfully. "Good morning, Stella."

"Hi," I mumbled, scratching my ear and wishing I would just melt in my seat.

"Greg," Bree snapped. "Don't annoy her."

"I wasn't annoying her. I was just saying good morning."

Bree rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Esme. "We were going to take a little hunting trip before school. Carlisle said it would be good for Greg."

Esme nodded. "I still can't believe he's allowing Greg to attend school after being so young." Both Bree and Greg shrugged, leaving the conversation at that.

"Stella, you're going to be riding with Alice today. We'll meet you at school," Bree said, hugging me and grabbing a little satchel sitting on the couch.

"Okay."

_Hope you enjoyed the view earlier_. I snapped my head around, gawking at Greg, who smiled and winked. Did he seriously just say that? And why wasn't Bree yelling at him for annoying me as she put it earlier? But then I realized no one had heard it but me. Esme was washing the remaining dishes and Bree was busy with her fingers flying over the keyboard of her cell phone. He only meant for me to hear it.

I turned my attention back to my orange juice and just when I was about to say something back to him _aloud_, he was gone along with my sister.

~.~.~.~.~

Thirty minutes later, I was sitting in the backseat of Alice's new silver Volkswagen Jetta with Emmett. Alice was babbling along about how fun the first day was going to be for everyone—never keeping her eyes on the road for one moment which was making me a bit uncomfortable. Jasper sat in the passenger seat, keeping his attention focused on the radio as he fiddled through the stations.

We arrived at Fort Vancouver High School—home of the Trappers—and entered the main office to receive our schedules. "Where are those two," Alice asked, looking annoyed. "They were supposed to be here already."

"Who," I asked.

"Your sister and _Gregory_… Speak of the devil." Alice pointed to the main entrance where Greg and my sister were just arriving. I noticed that many of the students around the hallway had stopped to take notice of the new kids. Great, I'm new kid. Alice handed a schedule to me and I glanced it over, taking a little enthusiasm when I noticed I had Advanced 2D Art for fifth period. The remaining five classes were not of my interest, but most likely required.

An extremely loud and annoying bell rang throughout the halls signaling for students to attend their first class and I had no idea where I was supposed to go. I took a look down at my schedule; my first period class is European History. Eww.

"Looks like we have the same first three classes." I jumped, realizing for the first time Greg has been staring over my shoulder at my schedule.

"You two have fun," Alice called as she dragged my sister off down the hall full of students with Jasper and Emmett tagging along.

"I guess it's just us," Greg said sincerely while draping a very cold arm around my shoulders. I shook him off and began walking away in the same direction as Alice. "Our class is this way," Greg called.

I quickly turned around, ignoring the chuckles from Greg and began walking in the direction he had pointed. "Whatever," I said nonchalantly and stomped off.

"Shouldn't it be the other way around," Greg asked, keeping pace with me. "Shouldn't I be mad at you? I mean, you were the one who walked in on me."

I stopped short and spun around to look him in the eye, realizing for the first time how tall he really is. He was at least six foot or little over and I was barely five-two. "You should have locked the door like a normal person," I snapped, holding my composure.

Greg nodded and smiled crookedly. "Touché."

I rolled my eyes and stalked off, glancing down at the folded schedule in my hands for the classroom number. Room 210.

"I still don't know why you're mad at me though," Greg continued. "What did I do?"

"Honestly, the fact that every time I see you now, you want to rub it that I accidentally walked in you. Like this morning. What was that all about?"

"What was _what _all about," he asked innocently.

"Don't play games with me. That thing… That thing where you say stuff only certain people can hear."

"Oh, that thing. You don't like it?"

"No! I don't like it and I don't like you either. In fact, I can't stand you."

By that time, we had arrived at room 210 for European History. I took a seat close to the back of the classroom accompanied by Greg unfortunately. The first three classes of the day passed in a blur of unwanted introductions, stares of classmates, whispers, and a lot of unnecessary information. When the bell signaled for fourth period I was actually glad—mostly because I was tired of sitting next to Greg in every class and I was also ready for study hall with Emmett, although I had nothing to do.

A quarter of class time was dedicated to lunch, in which I was destined to sit with the Cullen clan. We choose a rectangular table with enough seats for the six of us; three chairs on each side. Emmett and I were the first ones to take a seat followed my Bree and Greg. A moment later, Alice skipped into the lunchroom with Jasper in tow.

She took a seat in front of Bree, holding out what appeared to be sketch paper. A beautiful, glowing smile formed her lips. "Oh, Bree! You have to see what I drew for you in my Fashion and Interior Design class." She handed over the sheet of paper for Bree to inspect. I was able to glance over her shoulder at the wedding dress sketch.

"It looks good, Alice," Bree replied with no emotion whatsoever.

"Good," Alice repeated. "Just good?"

"Here we go again," Emmett muttered, playing around with an uneaten bag of Doritos.

"Yeah. It's good," Bree supposed.

"Bree, honey. We're talking about your wedding dress here. I need a little more input than 'just good,'" Alice shrieked.

"I think it's amazing, Alice," I spoke up.

"Thank you." Alice pulled out a cell phone from her expensive purse. "Three… two… one…" The phone vibrated on command. "Hello," Alice said in her twinkling voice.

I glanced around the cafeteria for any teachers threatening to take away Alice's cell phone. But all around, several of the school's students were using their phones talking and texting. At my previous school, cell phones were strictly prohibited. Maybe I can learn to like this school.

"Oh, Sergio," Alice cooed. "It's good to speak with you again."

I pulled out my own phone from my jacket's pocket. No new messages from Seth.

"Oh, yes. Did you receive the fabric?"

I pulled up a blank message and texted him myself, though there was a good possibility he was sleeping. He was so lazy. _Missing you_, I sent and waited.

"No, no, no," Alice repeated to the man on the phone. "It must be white—completely white… Why? Because she's _pure_."

I frowned, from the conversation Alice was having and from the fact I received nothing back from Seth.

"Thank you, Sergio. You're sure it will not be of any problem to you?... Thank you so much. Okay, bye." Alice hung up the phone smiling widely at my sister. "Guess what, Bree?"

"What," Bree asked, appearing not very happy.

"We have an appointment with Sergio Bonelli this afternoon."

"Who?"

Alice's shoulders slumped as if every person in the room would know who Sergio B-whatever is. "Sergio Bonelli is the man I was just speaking to on the phone, Bree. Keep up. He's an up-and-coming new designer centered in New York City and he has offered to design your wedding dress based upon my sketches. It's rumored he's an even better wedding dress designer than Vera Wang."

"Oh, goody," Bree replied with mock excitement.

Alice frowned but continued on, "As I said, we have an appointment with him this afternoon in New York City."

"Wait. What?"

"We're taking a short trip to NYC after school to start designing your dress."

"How are we going to get from here to New York and back," Bree asked.

"By private jet of course," Alice replied simply and my eyes widened in surprise. _They have a private jet_? Of course, they have a private jet; they have everything. "We should be back by midnight." Bree groaned but there was honestly no use of arguing with Alice; she was very persistent.

I took a sip from the bottle of coke in front of me.

"Attention students," a male voice drifted through the cafeteria from the speakers overhead. "This is your vice principal speaking. I have a few afternoon announcements to make. First off, for all JV and Varsity football players, practice is cancelled for this evening."

A loud roar came from a group of brawny teenage boys. They were obviously happy for a day off.

"Secondly," the voice continued. "The Art Club will be meeting this afternoon at 3:30. Any student wishing to attend is welcome, whether you have experience or not… Thank you." The man on the speaker tuned out and the students in the lunchroom continued with their previous conversations.

"Oh, Stella," Alice said. "Art Club would be just perfect for you, don't you think?"

I shrugged and took another small sip of coke. "I guess."

"You should join," Alice suggested, smiling widely and twiddling her dainty fingers together. "What do you think?"

"I don't know—"

"Oh, come on. What else did you have planned for this afternoon?"

"Well—"

"Then you should do it," Alice interrupted happily. "It would be such a good opportunity for you to meet new people and adjust to the school."

"Okay. Sure."

"Good, it's settled then… and Greg can stay with you."

"What," Greg snapped, moving his attention from my sister's low-cut shirt.

"Yes," Alice replied. "You can go to Art Club, too. Stella would love the company."

"Um, not really," I spoke up but no one was listening to me.

"Why can't someone else do it?"

"Because everyone else is busy. Bree will be coming with me to New York City, Jasper is also coming, and Emmett is in dire need of some Rosalie a la mode."

"Eww."

"Don't knock it 'til you try it," Emmett replied chuckling and fist-pumping.

"Do it for me," Bree asked, staring Greg down and running her hand through his hair. "Please."

Greg rolled his eyes and groaned. "Fine," he mumbled.

**Please review; i know that was short and uneventful, but please review :D **


	19. Ride on the Wild Side

**A/N: It was brought to my attention in one the reviews from last chapter that I left you guys with a cliffhanger in chapter 16 and I never continued with it. It was the part where Stella said she would live with Bree and I didn't write anything about it after it. I am so sorry about that, i have no clue what i was thinking. I guess I got too ahead of myself when I was writing. That probably confused a lot of you and I'm sorry. I can write it in as an outtake/oneshot if you want it, but it would probably be really short. If you like that idea, please tell me and I'll start working on it. **

**But, here's chapter 19. Just a heads up, I'm really excited about chapters 20 and 21. I have some crazy stuff planned. Make sure to review so I can send you spoilers for the next chapter, once i have it written. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

Chapter 19: Ride on the Wild Side

**Stella POV**

I spent all of study hall sitting beside Emmett—who looked as if he couldn't even fit in the desk—passing notes. Emmett decided to give me the nickname Snake because it started with an 'S' and was "cooler" than the name 'Stella.' So, in thanks, I named him Egghead. Stella the Snake. And Emmett the Egghead. I think they have a nice ring.

When the bell rang for the beginning of fifth period I was actually happy. Finally, a class I can relate to. I walked alone to the art classroom and took seat close to the back after I had introduced myself to Mr. Bartlett, the art teacher. He was a strange looking old man with a graying ponytail and glasses. He wore a black oxford shirt, black pants, black shoes, and purple and blue polka dotted tie. I guess that was his artistic look.

The remaining students began filing in closer to the warning bell, taking a short glance at the new girl, of course.

I felt a light tapping on my shoulders. I turned around quickly only to notice a guy about the same size as Emmett. He had short light brown hair and twinkling gray eyes. He wore a FVHS Football t-shirt.

"You're in my seat," he said apologetically.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, feeling completely embarrassed. "I can move."

"Oh, it's fine. Never mind. You can sit there. I'll just take a seat right over here," he replied, pointing the seat right next to where I was sitting. He shrugged off his backpack and threw it onto the table before him, turning around in his seat to face me.

"I'm Zak Herrington, by the way," he said, clearing his throat. "Number sixty-four; QB1."

"I'm Stella… What was that stuff you said after your name?"

"Oh, sorry," Zak replied, scratching his nose. "I play football. My jersey number is sixty-four and I'm varsity quarterback, hence the QB1."

"Okay, my little artists," Mr. Bartlett announced giddily while clapping his hands. "We have a new student today. I would like you all to welcome Stella to our class. She's from Portland, Oregon." I smiled weakly as every person in the classroom turned their attention to me.

"Today," Mr. Bartlett continued, thankfully pulling the attention away from me. "We are going to start on our peer portraits. I want everyone to pull out some sketch paper and your best pencils, grab a partner, and get to work. I want to see progress by the time class is over."

Mr. Bartlett shuffled over to his desk and turned on the radio, blasting an old Aerosmith song. Students began grabbing out their supplies and I did the same, though I had no idea who I was planning on working with. A pretty girl with sleek, straight, black hair strutted over to Zak, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Zak. You want to be partners," she asked energetically.

"Uh no. Not really," he replied sheepishly.

"Oh. Okay," the pretty girl replied, appearing very disappointed. "I'll see you after school, then?"

"Maybe."

The pretty girl stalked off frowning and sat down across the room beside a girl with the same hairstyle. But instead of black hair, this girl's was dark brown with hot pink streaks.

"You need a partner," Zak suddenly asked me, grinning.

"Actually, I do."

"You want to be mine?"

"Um." I glanced over to the pretty girl with black hair, who was staring at Zak and watching the whole conversation between us. I wouldn't doubt if she had the ability to hear us. The girl probably lived on the latest gossip. "Sure."

"Alright, do you want to do the drawing or should I?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Okay, I'll draw you first," he replied, grabbing out a red sketchbook with his name decorated on front in graffiti.

"Did you draw that," I asked, pointing to the graffiti as he searched in his backpack for a pencil.

"Yeah. You like it?" I nodded. "I could do your name, too, if you want."

"That would be nice."

Zak grinned and flipped to a blank page in his sketchbook. "Alright, pose for me."

I glanced around the room, noticing many of the other students in the room were making funny poses. One guy was standing up in a Hercules pose using Mr. Bartlett's umbrella as a sword. Another girl was sitting comfortably in a chair shifting into a Madonna 'vogue' pose. I started biting on my thumbnail, thinking of what type of pose I could do. But, I came up with nothing; I'm not a very exciting person.

"I don't think I have a pose," I muttered to Zak.

"Well, keep the pose you're in right now," he replied, gesturing to my current stance.

"Me biting my nails?" Zak nodded and bent his head towards the paper to being drawing. I kept my attention on Mr. Bartlett's radio as it shuffled through the music. I couldn't help but giggle when a Justin Bieber song turned on; what teacher plays Justin Bieber? But, every so often, I would glance back at Zak and his progress on my portrait. The way he drew every line seemed effortless.

"How long have you been drawing," I asked.

"Since I was… two. My mom used to let me paint on the walls. I guess I've loved art ever since," he replied.

"You're really good."

"Thanks. Are you surprised? You don't think a jock has any skills other than throwing a football?"

"No. I didn't mean it that way…"

Zak's lips curled up into a teasing smile. "No worries. I was kidding." He turned his attention back to my portrait and I kept my eyes on anything except for him. It was a little nerve-wracking being situated as the model instead of the artist. I always wondered what Seth felt like when I was sketching him, but he always looked like he enjoyed it. At the moment, I was feeling embarrassed and in the spotlight.

I peeked up at Zak, whose attention was completely held on his work. His brown hair shimmered in the florescent lighting and shielded his eyes as he kept his head bent over the drawing. He used his thumb to smudge the outline of my eyes. Zak looked up, noticing that I was staring at him like an idiot, and grinned.

"You're not becoming infatuated with the artist, are you," he asked.

I shook my head fervently. "No, I have a boyfriend," I blurted out.

Zak chuckled. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry. People around me know not to take everything I say seriously because most of the time I am not being serious at all."

"Oh," I replied lamely.

Zak turned back to the portrait. "So, you have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah."

"Tell me about him."

"Well, his name is Seth and he lives in La Push, Washington…" At that moment, I realized there wasn't much I could say to someone in the outside world—someone who didn't know anything about him, including the fact that he's a werewolf.

Then, the bell rang. Students in Mr. Bartlett's class scrambled to stuff books in their backpacks and messenger bags. Zak stood up and closed his sketchbook, stashing it in his backpack. When I walked out of the art room, Bree and Alice were waiting for me.

"We have computers class together," Alice chimed, grabbing my hand.

"Hey, I'll see you next class, Stella," Zak said as he passed us in the hallway.

"Yeah, you too."

When Zak was far enough down the hall, Alice spoke up. "OOoooh," she squealed, patting me on my shoulder.

"Alice, don't," Bree said. "There's nothing going on there."

"Humph. Sure there is," she said, turning to me. "If you don't like him, he definitely likes you. And there is nothing you can do about it except play along, give him a little kiss on the cheek—"

"Eww, Alice," I yelled. "Have you forgotten about my boyfriend named Seth?"

"Of course not. A little kiss on the cheek is innocent."

"I just met him."

~.~.~.~.~

After our short and useless computer class, Alice, Bree, and I met up with everyone else in the hallway. Bree allowed me to stash my books from the day inside her locker until tomorrow. I walked to art club with Greg following behind, who looked like he would love to be anywhere than with me. I didn't blame him though; I wasn't too ecstatic about spending the rest of day with Greg watching my every move. Not to mention the fact I would have to spend time alone with him in a car as we drove home. But, for now, art club was just the beginning.

When I arrived in the art room, there were about twenty-five other students. I sat in the same seat from earlier and Greg sat beside me, pulling out his cell phone and texting my sister. Mr. Bartlett was the head of art club along with a woman he introduced as his wife.

We spent the hour and thirty minutes creating banners for the football Pep Rally coming up. I could tell from watching Greg that he was _way_ out his element. He was trying his hand at painting a football but it looked more like a diamond with unnecessary white lines.

Mr. Bartlett dismissed us a few minutes early and hoped to see everyone next week. Greg was the first one out of the art room and I cleaned up my materials before grabbing my jacket and heading in the same direction I thought he had taken. I was walking down the hallway at a leisurely pace when a hand grabbed my forearm and pulled me into a dark, adjourning corridor. My back was slammed against a locker—not painfully, but enough to scare me to death. That is, until I saw who was grasping my arms and holding me in place. Then my fear turned to rage.

"_Greg_? What the hell are y—"

My annoyance was silenced quickly as he pressed two cold fingers to my lips. "Shhh," Greg whispered, glancing around corner. His golden eyes practically glowed in the darkness as I shrank back against the metal lockers trying to decipher what could possibly be going through his damned mind right now. He looked… _excited_… My eyes widened as my mind began reeling with the possible outcomes of this situation.

I felt one of his hands slide down my arm, from shoulder to forearm. He clasped my wrist tightly and began walking out of the dark hallway. "Come on."

"Where are you taking me," I asked, panicking, as Greg led me past the art room and a few other classrooms until we stopped at the double doors of a class larger than the others I had seen all day. Glancing up at the room number, I spotted a small sign tacked to the wall with the words 'Band Room.'

"What are we doing over here," I asked.

"Well, I was thinking that if you could have some fun, then why can't I?"

I raised my eyebrows in confusion. His answer just totally threw me off, not to mention I had no idea what he was talking about or what he was trying to accomplish. What kind of fun did he have in mind?

"Are we even allowed over here," I asked, for I had no intention of getting into trouble on my first day at school—even if school was released for the day. "I don't even think that door is going to open. It's locked."

"I know that, Stella," he replied smirking. "That's why I have this." He reached in the pocket of his jacket and produced a chain of keys. I watched in doubt as he picked one of the keys and unlocked the band room door with ease. I shook my head, wondering how he had even gotten the keys but I didn't even feel like asking.

I followed Greg into the expansive band room, looking around at the instruments.

"Why are we even in here," I mumbled under my breath.

"Because of that," Greg replied, pointing—thought I hadn't meant for him to hear me. I followed the direction of where he was pointing and noticed for the first time a black and silver guitar hooked up to an amplifier.

"A guitar," I questioned.

"It's not _just_ a guitar." He walked over to the guitar, unplugged it from the amplifier, and put the strap over his head, smiling wide like a kid at a candy store. I rolled my eyes and took a seat at a nearby chair. "It's a Music Man Stingray Bass, five strings, amplifier plug-in... It's amazing."

"Yeah, I guess so," I replied sarcastically. I obviously know nothing about boys and their love for guitars.

I started chewing on my nails as Greg strummed a few chords, twisting the little knobs. Tuning it, I supposed. He began playing a beat I recognized from a rock CD my dad had mixed up for the car—Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix.

"You play," Greg asked, still strumming along on the guitar.

"No. The closest I ever got to learning about a guitar was the violin. I quit on my first day of lessons."

Greg laughed, showing off his white teeth. "You want to learn?"

"Nope."

"Yeah, you do. Come on," he said, gesturing me to come stand by him.

"No, thanks. I think I'll just go stand outside and wait for you to finish your little guitar fantasy," I stated, standing up to leave the band room. When I reached the door, Greg was standing there holding the guitar in one hand and smiling like he'd won the lottery.

"Come on," he said, dragging me back over to the middle of the band room. "I had to come with you to art club now we get to have some guitar fun."

I figured there was obviously no point in arguing with him since he was already dragging me and also because he's a vampire. There's not much a person can do to a vampire if they're not a vampire themselves.

Greg stood behind me and placed the strap over my head, adjusting the guitar at a good position for me. He began going over the different parts of the guitar which I had no interest about in the first place, but I was having a hard time concentrating. His hands were so cold as they brushed against mine, instructing me on the different notes played on a guitar.

Greg stopped instructing suddenly and yanked the guitar away from my body in a second, dashing to the opposite side of the room to place it back in its rightful place. "We have to go. There's someone coming," he said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me out of the band room. He locked the door quickly behind him, stashed the keys back in his pocket, and sped off, still holding my wrist. My poor feet were carrying me as fast as I could, but that definitely wasn't fast enough around him.

He finally slowed down as we reached the door to the student parking lot. The sky was completely dark but I knew the time was only a little past five. Only a few cars remained in the parking lot but I didn't notice any of them as something the Cullens would drive.

"Where's your car," I asked, following Greg across the parking lot.

"I didn't drive a car."

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "Well, how did you and my sister get to school?"

"With that." Greg pointed across the parking lot at a sleek, black, Harley Davidson motorcycle. When he reached the motorcycle, Greg hopped on and patted the seat the seat behind him, grinning widely.

I shook my head furiously. "Oh, no. I am _not_ getting on that thing."

"Oh, come on. Don't be so scared. Come take a ride on the wild side."

"Do you have a helmet?"

"No, I've never needed one."

"Then, no. I think you're forgetting that I am a human and my life is very fragile. So, I'll just call Emmett or Carlisle to come pick me up."

"You can't. Carlisle's got a late night at the hospital and Emmett is… spending time with Rosalie. I wouldn't bother him if I were you. It's just you and me, kid."

"No, thanks. I'll walk."

"Bree would be very disappointed in me if I allowed you to walk home on this very cold November night," Greg said sincerely. "Now, come on. I don't bite… Hold on; scratch that. I do bite, but I'm not going to bite you. I promise you have nothing to be afraid of." Greg suddenly took hold of my hand, squeezing it slightly. "You don't have to be afraid of me."

"Fine," I whispered, climbing onto the back of his motorcycle. I made sure to keep a good amount of space between the two of us.

Greg revved up the motorcycle. "You may want to hold on," he called back to me. "If you fall off and hurt yourself there's a good chance your sister just might rip off my balls. You don't want that, do you?"

I shrugged. "It really wouldn't make any difference to me."

"Of course it wouldn't."

The motorcycle suddenly lurched forward, speeding off into the night. I was jerked backward and then forward as I threw my arms around Greg's waist in panic. I held on tight for my life as Greg sped through the streets. The cold, autumn air sliced over my face like knives causing my eyes to water. I instinctually buried my face in Greg's shoulder away from the frigid air, breathing in his scent. He smelled good, like leather and Irish spring's soap.

After a moment, I finally found the courage to look up from his shoulder and glance at the speedometer. I had to take a second look because I honestly didn't want to believe it. I thought Seth was a crazy driver but he was a freaking speed demon. But, going over eighty was a little exhilarating, I'll admit. The dark trees past in a blur, the wind blew through my hair, and I actually felt _comfortable_. It was an adrenaline rush and I actually liked it, loved it.

The motorcycle stopped abruptly behind the Cullen's garage causing my whole body to slam against Greg's back, my heart pounding out of my chest. I staggered to the side a bit, planning on hitting the pavement below. But, Greg caught me by the leg, behind the knee, and steadied me.

"Sorry about that," he said, keeping his hand in the same spot for a minute longer than needed.

I climbed off the Harley Davidson. "Thanks for the ride."

"Anything for you, Your Majesty," he replied in a mock British accent and sweeping his arm in butler fashion.

I rolled my eyes and walked off towards the house.

"Hey, Stella," Greg called.

"Yeah?"

"You still hate me?"

"Um…," I started, looking up at the night sky, thinking. "No... You're alright, I guess."

**A/N: (Shameless Self-Promotion) I have entered myself into a oneshot contest hosted by Wordslinger and TwiCharmed. It's all about the Bella/Jacob pairing. If you're interested in reading my oneshot as well as many amazing others, you can check 'em out here: http: / www (.) fanfiction (.) net / ~afteryourheartstopsbeating. You can also vote for your two favorites on the poll. Voting ends on 11/13. **


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